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NEW DELHI: Health minister Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday said people with poor immunityare more vulnerable to contracting coronavirus infectionsand stressed on the need to boost the immune system by eating right and safe food. Speaking at the virtual launch of the Eat Right India Challenge initiative by food safety regulator FSSAI, the Minister said a strong immune system is not only important for fighting coronavirusbut also diseases like tuberculosis. “It is rightly said that food plays an important role in building immunity. Today those people are getting more infected by Covid-19whose immunity is not strong,” he said. People who dont focus on their food have many deficiencies that weaken their immune system, he said, and emphasised on the need to eat right and safe food. “As a doctor, I feel if a person focuses on his food and exercise, he can save himself from diseases,” he added. Asserting that more awareness needs to be created among people about diet, the minister said it that about 52 per cent deaths in India are due to noncommunicable diseases like hypertension and diabetes. Also, the country has 196 million people in chronic hunger, 500 million with micronutrient deficiency, 180 million with obesity besides 100 million cases of foodborne diseases, he added. As per the Health Ministrydata, there were 27. 67 lakh Covid-19 cases as on Wednesday in the country. On the Eat Right India Challenge, the Minister said it is a good initiative to instill a sense of competition among cities and districts to strengthen regulatory compliance. “But in the name of this initiative, small outlets should not be harassed. . . Efforts should be made to involve them and encourage them to participate,” he said. Under the year-long initiative, the first 150 cities and districts that register on a first-cum-first service basis will be eligible for seed funding for the challenge. Already 197 districts/cities from 23 states have registered. The selected
