Lok Sabha Question No. 2453 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-04
Subject: Appointment of Health Ambassadors in Schools
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Balashowry Vallabhaneni

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2453 ANSWERED ON 04.08.2025

## Appointment of Health Ambassadors in Schools

## 2453. Shri Balashowry Vallabhaneni:

Will the Minister of Education be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has issued any advisory to all States and UTs for reducing 10  per  cent  of  oil  in  cooking  in  view  of  childhood  obesity  and  if  so,  the  details thereof;
- (b) whether any training proposed to be given to teachers to identify obesity in students and guide parents to take suitable remedial measures, if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the number of schools appointed student health ambassadors, State/UT-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a) to (c) The Hon'ble Prime Minister, while speaking in 'Pariksha Pe Charcha 2025' and 'Man Ki Baat' has expressed his concern about increasing childhood obesity among school students in India. Obesity amongst children in India is on the rise and has become a policy concern for the country. The passage of time has resulted in more sedentary lifestyles and a rapid shift away from traditional diets to consumption of fat rich processed foods and sugary drinks. The Hon'ble Prime Minister has suggested practical advices including importance of reducing the usage of cooking oil by 10% in day-to-day food consumption.

The Ministry of Education, Government of India has issued an advisory on 15 March, 2025, to all schools in the country, including the private schools, to encourage reduction of oil consumption in foods by 10 % to address student obesity.

To  raise  awareness  about  the  benefits  of  reducing  oil  consumption,  the  advisory recommends the schools to conduct special classes, invite nutrition experts, and hold quizzes on healthy eating. Activities like Eco-Club discussions, yoga, and exercise sessions promote wellbeing  may  be  organised  in  schools.  Teachers  may  guide  parents  on  managing  obesity,  while students  engage  in  low-oil  cooking,  recipe  sharing,  and  health  tracking  projects.  Emphasis  on better cooking methods, portion control, and limiting processed foods encourages balanced diets.

School Management Committees can involve parents and communities in sustaining these efforts. By aligning nutritional choices with physical fitness, the advisory reinforces the core message of the  'Fit  India  Movement'  fostering active  and  healthy  lifestyles  as  part  of  broader  vision  of  a Swasth Bharat. The Advisory of the Ministry of Education is placed at Annexure-1.

To educate students about informed food choices and promote long-term health benefits among students, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has asked its affiliated schools to establish 'Sugar Boards' where information is displayed for educating students about the risks of excessive  sugar  intake.  These  boards  should  provide  essential  information,  including  the recommended daily  sugar  intake,  the  sugar  content  in  commonly  consumed  foods  (unhealthy meals such as junk food, cold drinks, etc.), health risks associated with high sugar consumption, and healthier dietary alternatives.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), and the Ministry of Education (MoE), jointly implement the Ayushman Bharat - School Health and Wellness Programme (ABSHWP)  since  2020.  Under  this,  two  teachers  per  school  trained  as  Health  and  Wellness Ambassadors  (HWAs)  conduct  regular  sessions  on  11  themes  including  nutrition,  health  and sanitation,  growing  up  healthy,  and  promotion  of  healthy  lifestyles.  State/UT-wise  details  of trained Health and Wellness Ambassadors is placed at Annexure-2.

***

ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (C)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2453 FOR 04.08.2025 RAISED BY SHRI BALASHOWRY VALLABHANENI, HON'BLE M.P. REGARDING APPOINTMENT OF HEALTH AMBASSADORS IN SCHOOLS

STATE/ UT WISE DETAILS OF TRAINED HEALTH AND WELLNESS AMBASSADORS

|   S.No | States/UTs        |   Teachers Trained as HWAs* |
|--------|-------------------|-----------------------------|
|      1 | A &NIslands       |                         266 |
|      2 | Andhra Pradesh    |                       47252 |
|      3 | Arunachal Pradesh |                        1179 |
|      4 | Assam             |                       16244 |
|      5 | Bihar             |                       51788 |
|      6 | Chandigarh        |                         687 |
|      7 | Chhattisgarh      |                       13267 |
|      8 | DD-DNH            |                         496 |
|      9 | Delhi             |                        1440 |
|     10 | Goa               |                         812 |
|     11 | Gujarat           |                       53400 |
|     12 | Haryana           |                       14934 |
|     13 | Himachal Pradesh  |                        9150 |
|     14 | J &K              |                       20502 |
|     15 | Jharkhand         |                       31057 |
|     16 | Karnataka         |                       10227 |
|     17 | Kerala            |                           0 |
|     18 | Ladakh            |                        1448 |
|     19 | Lakshwadeep       |                          40 |
|     20 | Madhya Pradesh    |                       49216 |
|     21 | Maharashtra       |                       31175 |
|     22 | Manipur           |                         579 |
|     23 | Meghalaya         |                        4094 |
|     24 | Mizoram           |                        1694 |
|     25 | Nagaland          |                         658 |
|     26 | Odisha            |                       49291 |
|     27 | Puducherry        |                         380 |
|     28 | Punjab            |                        1876 |
|     29 | Rajasthan         |                       42117 |
|     30 | Sikkim            |                        1419 |
|     31 | Tamil Nadu        |                      570409 |
|     32 | Telangana         |                        6944 |
|     33 | Tripura           |                        6062 |
|     34 | Uttar Pradesh     |                       79502 |
|     35 | Uttarakhand       |                       11010 |
|     36 | West Bengal       |                       15838 |