Breastfeeding brings the child closer to the mother’s heart : Dy CM Smt. Pravati Parida

Bhubaneswar: The State-Level celebration of World Breastfeeding Week 2025 was held today at the Lok Seva Bhawan Convention Centre in Bhubaneswar, under the leadership of the Department of Women and Child Development (WCD), Government of Odisha. This year’s global theme is Prioritize Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support System at the heart of discussions during the event.
Gracing the occasion as the Chief Guest, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister Smt. Pravati Parida inaugurated State’s first public Breastfeeding Room at the Odisha State Commission for Women Office, virtually launched by the Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister. She recommended that similar breastfeeding spaces should be established in all public and private institutions across the state to support working and lactating mothers. Smt. Parida also urged the public to actively participate in the “Aas Bulijiba Anganwadi” (Let’s Visit Anganwadi) campaign, running from August 1 to 15, to encourage greater community involvement in child development. She described Anganwadis as a “second home for children” and emphasized upgrading them for better service delivery. During the event, “Lok Kalyan” – an online web link form for NGO registration – is officially launched by the Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister. Principal Secretary, WCD Smt. Shubha Sharma highlighted various government schemes for pregnant and lactating mothers and children and encouraged their effective implementation at the grassroots level.
The event witnessed the presence of several dignitaries, including Ms. Monisha Banerjee, Director, WCD, Dr. Aditya Mahapatra, Additional Director, Health & Family Welfare Department, Mr. Saurabh Bhattacharya, Nutrition Specialist, UNICEF. The programme opened with a welcome address by Director Ms. Monisha Banerjee and concluded with a vote of thanks Swaynaprabha Mohanty, additional secretary, WCD.