The Indian Nursing Council (INC) has issued a notification directing all nursing institutions to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week 2025, which is observed annually from August 1 to August 7. The global campaign aims to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding to improve the health of babies and mothers across the country.
This year’s theme is ‘Invest in breastfeeding, invest in the future’. The theme highlights the importance of ensuring that every mother has access to the necessary support and information to breastfeed for as long as she chooses. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has emphasized that this requires investment in quality breastfeeding counseling, enforcing the Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, and fostering supportive environments at home, in healthcare settings, and in the workplace.
All nursing institutions are requested to promote this cause by conducting various activities, as suggested in an enclosed plan. These activities are categorized into three levels:
Facility Level
Activities include organizing inaugural programs at district and women’s hospitals, sensitizing staff on the importance of early initiation of breastfeeding and colostrum feeding, and holding panel discussions at nursing colleges on common issues encountered by mothers.
Community Level
The focus is on convergence activities with the Social Welfare Department and the Department of Women and Child Development. This involves frontline workers like ASHAs providing inter-personal counseling on breastfeeding and Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices during home visits and routine immunization sessions.
Mass Awareness Activities
Broader campaigns are suggested, such as generating awareness through jingles on radio, conducting talk shows on DD National, organizing quiz and painting competitions at schools, and leveraging social media handles of important personalities.
The active support for Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCF) practices will go a long way in accelerating the reduction of malnutrition and Infant Mortality Rates in the country. Nursing institutions are requested to conduct these activities in a vibrant manner. An action-taken report, along with photographs and documentation, is to be shared directly with the Ministry via email at childhealth107@gmail.com.