The plan was launched by Health Minister U.T. Khader at a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) meeting in Vidhana Soudha, with former health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao and Rajya Sabha member Mansoor Ali Khan in attendance.

Titled the Karnataka State Multisectoral Action Plan for Salt Reduction and Promotion of Healthy Dietary Habits, the strategy targets three fronts – household use of discretionary salt, food consumed outside the home, and processed or packaged foods – and proposes measures such as encouraging manufacturers to lower salt levels, raising public awareness of healthier diets, and bolstering research on potassium‑enriched low‑sodium salt.

The initiative aligns Karnataka’s efforts with India’s pledge to meet the World Health Organization’s global target of a 30% reduction in population salt intake by 2030 and the WHO recommendation of less than five grams of salt per person per day.

The TAG, chaired by Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences Vice‑Chancellor Bhagavan B.C., brings together experts from the state health department, Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, NIMHANS, academic and nutrition institutions, and public‑health organisations such as the Institute of Public Health, Resolve to Save Lives and Vision for Social Development. Participants included State Joint Director Jnanesh Kamath, State Deputy Director for NCDs Raghunandan, RGUHS’s Amrut Kadam, consultant U.S. Vishal Rao, Resolve to Save Lives executive Syed Imran Farooq, food‑policy advisor Manika Sharma and Vision for Social Development director Amit Karnik.

The plan builds on existing schemes like the PM POSHAN salt‑reduction component, dietary counselling under the Gruha Arogya programme and risk‑factor counselling in the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non‑Communicable Diseases. Khader called for a State Steering Committee spanning multiple departments to ensure coordinated, sustained action on healthier diets, noting that Karnataka has already introduced measures to curb foods high in fat, sugar and salt.