In a bid to promote the need for a nutritionally balanced diet and to emphasise the importance of accessibility to all local fruits and vegetables, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan will launch the "Aahaar Kranti" mission today (13 April), reports Livemint.

The mission is being launched by Vijnana Bharati (Vibha) and Global Indian Scientists' and Technocrats' Forum (GIST) with the motto of “Good Diet-Good Cognition".

As per the official statement, the mission has been designed to address the particular problem being faced by India and the world called “hunger and diseases in abundance". It will work to rouse the people to the values of India's traditional diet, to the healing powers of local fruits and vegetables, and the miracles of a balanced diet.

The mission will seek to renew the focus on nutritionally balanced diets replete in locally sourced fruits and vegetables. The mission will focus on training teachers who would in turn pass on the message to students and through them to the families and society at large.

It should be noted that India produces as much as two times the amount of calories that it consumes. However, many in the country are still malnourished. The lack of nutritional awareness in all sections of our society is attributed to this strange phenomenon. The mission is aimed at addressing the root cause of the problem.