Shillong, September 17 : The Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Meghalaya, officially launched the state chapter of ‘Swasth Nari, Sashakt Parivar Abhiyaan’, a landmark drive focused on strengthening health services for women and children.
The ceremony at Durbar Hall, Raj Bhavan, coincided with the national virtual launch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who underscored the need to build strong family and community health systems.
Prime Minister Modi virtually inaugurated the campaign across India, emphasizing the need to prioritize the well-being of women and children. He also introduced Rashtriya Poshan Maah and released instalments to beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, reinforcing his government’s commitment to nutrition and maternal health.
Addressing the state-level gathering, Governor C.H. Vijayashankar quoted the Bhagavad Gita: “Where women are honoured, divinity blossoms.” He lauded Meghalaya as an exemplar of female-centric society, urging officials to treat the 15-day program as a statewide festival of health outreach. “We should not hear of anybody being left out. The entire department should feel that they have given justice to the state of Meghalaya,” the Governor emphasized.
V. Hekali Zhimomi, IAS, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, highlighted the urgent need to address high anaemia rates, noting that 53.8% of Meghalaya’s women aged 15–49 are anaemic. She stressed that “the health of women is not a choice, it is a necessity,” and urged both rural and urban outreach.
In his welcome address, Sampath Kumar, IAS, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, outlined a two-week statewide campaign combining public and private health facilities. Key priorities include Cancer screening and early detection and Nutritional awareness and childhood stunting reduction. Kumar urged district and block-level teams to proactively promote health screenings, calling on all citizens to make the campaign a resounding success.
The event was attended by leading state officials, including Joram Beda, IAS, Commissioner & Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Pravin Bakshi, IAS, Commissioner & Secretary, Social Welfare. Their presence signalled strong interdepartmental collaboration to drive the mission across Meghalaya.
