India's celebration of Children's Day on the birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru reflects the importance the nation accords to the welfare of its youngest citizens, and serves to remind us of all that needs to be done to ensure them a hopeful future. A pleasant holiday for many, it is also an annual reminder of the problems  faced  by many more.

India's National Policy for Children recognises the country's 287 million children as its most precious  resource, and emphasises  the  national  importance of ensuring their well-being. National programmes to provide essential health and welfare services to all children are in progress, but the needs are vast, and many millions of children still have to struggle for survival against heavy odds. Reaching out to them, and meeting their needs, is the challenge India faces in the 1980s. Community groups, professional organisations and voluntary agencies must join hands with the government to meet this challenge.

Malnutrition has been identified as the greatest single factor leading to debility and  death among  infants  and children. A major improvement  could  be made if parents  and  communities  could  learn  to make better use of local resources to feed their children better. About 100,000 Indian children die every month for lack of adequate food. Many more have their physical and mental potential undermined by malnutrition; still more repeatedly fall prey to disease because chronic underfeeding leaves them defenceless against infection. Poverty is one reason for children being underfed; but ignorance and blind adoption of harmful practices also take their  grim toll.

Nutrition during the first months of life profoundly influences a child's future prospects.  The ability to produce milk to feed her infant is a vital resource.  Nature has given to every mother, assuring the infant a safe, natural and complete food packed with the protective elements and growth stimulating ingredients  essential for healthy development. In India, breastfeeding is a traditional practice, but it is gradually weakening in and around urban areas. The excessive dilution and unhygienic preparation of other kinds of milk create a hazardous situation for the help­ less infant. Since this has become a serious hearth risk in several developing countries, Indian mothers must be encouraged to continue breast-feeding their babies.

Parents also need to know that once a baby is four months old, semi-solid foods made from local foodstuffs must also be added to the daily diet. This simple, low­ cost supplementation can dramatically improve the child's development.

People can learn about better child nutrition through many channels. Stamps have proven value as communicators, and Children's Day stamps have the special mission of spreading awareness of children's rights. The primary right of every child is to survive-and it is our duty to ensure that survival.

The Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department is proud to issue a special postage stamp on Children's Day, 1981, to convey this message.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India