TURA: The “Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram” Youth Festival 2018 under the theme ‘Learn Grow Empower’ was held on Friday at the District Auditorium in Tura where West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, Ram Singh graced the occasion as the Chief Guest.
The festival was also attended by District Medical and Health Officer, Dr Marwin Sangma, Senior Medical & Health Officer, Dr Ivonne Sangma, teachers, students and ASHAs from all the blocks from the district, staff of Medical departments and others.
Emphasizing on the crucial stage of adolescence, Chief Guest Ram Singh said that necessary attention need to be focused during this stage of transition for overall growth and development of a person which comprises of good nutrition, sound mental health, counseling, gender sensitization amongst others. He said that there was a need to observe and understand the peer pressure faced by the youth nowadays and try to help them out before they fall into depression.
The Chief Guest requested teachers and the parents to attend to the needs of children with proper guidance and commitment in order to build a constructive force for social and economic transformation and contribute to the growth of the nation.
Earlier, District MCH Officer Dr Ivory Sangma presented an overview of the implementation of RKSK programme and its activities in the district. She stated that the programme is designed for the youth and looks after the behavioural, physiological and psychological changes available in all Public Health Centres, Block and village level.
She also informed that the adolescence health strategy which targets the age group of 10-19 years aims to improve nutrition, reduce the iron-deficiency anaemia, enable sexual and reproductive health, reduce teenage pregnancies, enhance mental health, prevent injuries and violence, prevent substance abuse among adolescence boys and girls both in urban and rural areas, including in school and out of school children.