World Breastfeeding Week: Health Minister to chair state-level event
Chhattisgarh to establish its first Mother's Milk Fund (Mother Milk Bank) 10 inspirational mothers to be honored with 'Mata Yashoda Samman' Raipur, On the occasion of World Breastfeeding Week (August 1 to 7), the Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of Chhattisgarh, in collaboration with the National Health Mission (NHM) and the State Health System Resource Center (SHSRC), will organize a state-level program in Raipur on August 6, 2026. The program will be held from 11 AM to 1 PM in the new auditorium of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Auditorium located in the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Medical College campus.
The program will be chaired by the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Shri Shyam Bihari Jaiswal. Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Shri Amit Kataria, and Commissioner-cum-Director, Health Services, Shri Sanjeev Jha, will be present as special guests.
The objective of the program is to increase public awareness about the importance of breast milk, promote adequate nutrition and better health for newborns and infants, and further strengthen maternal and child health services. Health department officials, medical experts, nursing officers, Mitanins (community health volunteers), public representatives, and representatives from various social organizations will participate in this event.
During the program, 10 mothers from the state will be honored with the 'Mata Yashoda Samman' for their exemplary contributions to humanity and motherhood by donating their breast milk or breastfeeding other infants. These are infants whose mothers could not produce sufficient milk or who have passed away.
On this occasion, the Chhattisgarh government will also announce the establishment of the state's first Mother's Milk Fund (Mother Milk Bank). The aim of this initiative is to provide safe, quality, and adequate breast milk to newborns and infants who, for any reason, cannot receive milk from their own mothers.
The Health Department stated that mother's milk is the best, complete, and natural food for an infant. It not only enhances the baby's immunity but is also extremely beneficial for the mother's health. World Breastfeeding Week emphasizes promoting positive behavior towards breastfeeding within the community and providing necessary support to mothers.
The Health Department has called upon media representatives and the general public to participate in the program and help spread the message of the importance of breastfeeding to everyone, thereby further strengthening public awareness regarding maternal and child health and nutrition.