Governor calls for creating awareness about obesity; CM for creating a Metabolic Institute

World Anti Obesity Day

Governor calls for creating awareness about obesity; CM for creating a Metabolic Institute  

The Governor of Maharashtra CH Vidyasagar Rao today called upon the State Chief Minister to explore the possibility of organizing expert talks in schools to create awareness among children on obesity and food habits.

 

Cautioning that obesity brings with it problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart ailments and others, the Governor said obesity should be viewed as a serious challenge to health. In this connection, he complimented the Chief Minister for forming a Task Force to address the challenge of obesity.

 

The Governor was speaking at a programme organized on the occasion of World Anti-Obesity Day at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai on Thursday (11 Oct).  A book ‘Obesity Mantra’ authored by bariatric surgeon Dr Jayashree Todkar and Santosh Shenai was released on the occasion.

 

‘Obesity is a disease’ : CM

Stating that ‘obesity is a disease’, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Government of Maharashtra will take the initiative in establishing a Metabolic Institute in the State to tackle the challenge of obesity and other metabolic disorders. He further said that the government is contemplating on the recommendation of mandating the writing of calorie content of food items on the menu card at hotels and eateries.

Author Dr Jayashree Todkar described obesity as the ‘king of diseases’, which according to her, can introduce 110 other diseases in the body. She said productivity of the nation can be enhanced if obesity and lifestyle diseases could be tackled effectively. She suggested incorporating a chapter on obesity in school textbooks.