Breastfeeding kiosk set up at Guwahati Railway Station

In a first, of its kind, a breastfeeding kiosk was opened at the Guwahati Railway Station on Saturday as a part of the World Breastfeeding Week being observed by Northeast Frontier Railway. The kiosk was set up by the Rotary Club of Guwahati Icons in collaboration with Northeast Frontier Railway.

Official sources said that a kiosk would immensely benefit female railway commuters travelling with infants. It will also allow a mother to breastfeed her baby in a secured environment and in privacy. Besides that, the beautifully-designed kiosk also has messages on the importance of breastfeeding and its benefits for public awareness.

In his address, Singh praised the effort of Rotary Club of Guwahati Icons which is a new chapter of Rotary International District 3240 in Guwahati and informed that another such kiosk would also be set up in Kamakhya Railway station as well in the coming days.

"This will be a great help, as it is convenient and easy to locate the breastfeeding room in the railway station," observed a mother with a newborn who arrived at the station to board a train.

Nishita Goswami in her speech stressed upon the importance of having such kiosks in public places. She thanked railways and Rotary Club for such an initiative in a place like a railway station having a footfall of lakhs of people.

In his welcome address, Club advisor and vice president Rudrajeet Laskar talked about the Rotary and about Rotary Club of Guwahati Icons while Service Project Chair Sudha Laskar shared the purpose of setting up a breastfeeding kiosk at Railway Station. "This will be a great help, as it is convenient and easy to locate the breastfeeding room in the railway station," observed a mother with a newborn who arrived at the station to board a train.

Another awareness programme in connection with the World Breastfeeding Week was held on Friday at the N.F. Railway Central Hospital, Maligaon. Talks on the importance and benefits of breastfeeding were delivered by Dr. B.P. Deka, Dr. Anuradha Goswami, Dr. Apurba Das, Dr. Immanuel Tuolor and Dr. Sunita Agarwal.

A large number of railway beneficiaries attended the session. Later, a session was also held at the indoor department of obstetrics and gynaecology to educate and support breastfeeding.