Lok Sabha Question No. 56 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-12-15
Subject: National Nutrition Strategy
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: SISIR KUMAR ADHIKARI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED Q UESTION NO. 56 TO BE ANSWERED ON   15 TH DECEMBER, 2017

## NATIONAL NUTRITION S TRATEGY

## 56. SHRI SISIR KUMAR ADHIKARI:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has drafted a National Nutrition Strategy;

- (b) if so, the details and salient features of the said strategy;

- (c) whether the Government has taken any initi ative relating to prevention of malnutrition; and

- (d) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE ( SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY )

- (a):   Yes.

- (b):    National Nutrition Strategy (NNS) has been published by NITIAayog in 2017. The sa features of the National Nutrition Strategy are as follows:

- Vision 2022: 'KuposhanMukt Bharat'.

- Objectives and targets:

- o 3 point percentage / year reduction in underweight prevalence in children (0 - 3  years)  by 2022 from NFHS- 4 levels

- o 1/3rd reduction in anaemia in children, adolescent & Women of Reproductive Age (WRA)

- Keystrategic areas of action:

1. Governance reform

2. Leading by example

3. Convergence

4. Prioritise action

5. Intensification of Counselling to reach the critical age group

Contd.......

6. Continuum of care
7. Innovative service delivery models
8. Community based monitoring
9. Enabling actions
5. Nutrition specific interventions:
6. o Infant and Young Child care and Nutrition
7. o Infant and Young Child Health
8. o Maternal Care, Nutrition and Health
9. o Adolescent care, nutrition and Health
10. o Addressing micronutrient deficiencies -including anemia
11. o Community nutrition (Interventions addressing community)
12. Funding (leveraging):
13. o National Health Mission
14. o National Nutrition Mission
15. o Integrated Child Development Scheme
16. o Swachh Bharat Mission
17. o Increased provision of 25% flexi funds for States in Centrally sponsored schemes

## (c ) & (d) :

- Government  of  India  is  implementing  various  schemes  and programmes  to  prevent malnutrition which are as follows:
- MoHFW  under  the  umbrella  of  National  Health  Mission  (NHM)  has  implemented following schemes and programmes which address the issue of malnutrition:
- o Promotion of appropriate Infant and Young Child Fee ding (IYCF) practices that include early initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding till 6 months of age ASHA  worker  and  health  care  provider  at  health  facilities.  In  order  to  promote support  breastfeeding,  Government  has  implement ed ' MAA -Mothers' Absolute Affection' programme to improve breastfeeding coverage and appropriate breastfeeding practices in the country. A greater emphasis is laid on capacity building of the workers on lactation management at both community and fac ility levels and 360 degree IEC campaign to create awareness regarding breastfeeding.
- o Vitamin A supplementation (VAS) for children till the age of 5 years.
- o 'National Iron Plus Initiative' has  been  launched  as  an  effective  strategy  for supplementation  an d  treatment  of  anaemia  in  children,  adolescents,  pregnant  and lactating women, in programme mode through life cycle approach. Specific program t prevent  and  treat  micronutrient  deficiencies  through Iron  &  Folic  Acid  (IFA) supplementation across life stage s are:

-  Bi- weekly IFA syrup supplementation to children 6 - 59 months.

Contd..........

-  Weekly IFA tablet supplementation to children 5 -10 years and adolescents 10 -19 years
-  IFA tablets to pregnant and lactating women.
- o National Deworming Day is a fixed day strategy to administer Albendazole tablets to the children in the age group of 1 - 19 years through the platform of AWCs and Schools. More than 75 crores doses have been administered since 2014.
- o In order to increase awareness about the us e of ORS and Zinc in diarrhoea, an Intensified Diarrhoea  Control  Fortnight  (IDCF)  is  being  observed  during  July - August,  with  the ultimate aim of 'zero child deaths due to childhood diarrhoea'.
- o Incentives are provided to ASHA for tracking of Low birth weig ht babies.
- o Promotion for intake of iodised salt and monitoring salt quality through testing under National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Programme.
- o Under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), systematic efforts are undertaken to detect nutrit ion deficiency among children and adolescents respectively.
- o Mission Indradhanush: Launched on 25th December, 2014 with the objective to ensur high coverage of children with all vaccines in identified districts with the goal of the unreached to ac hieve 90% full immunization coverage in India.
- o Rashtriya  Bal  Swasthya  Karyakram  (RBSK)  provides  child  health  screening  for  30 common health conditions by expanding the reach of mobile health teams at block le and establishment of District Early Interve ntion Centres (DEICs) at the districts for early interventions services.
- o Village Health and Nutrition Days and Mother and Child Protection Card are the joint initiative of the Ministry of Health & Family welfare and the Ministry of Woman Child Develop ment for addressing the nutrition concerns in children, pregnant wome and lactating mothers.  Village Health and Nutrition Days  (VHNDs) are monthly day held  at  village  level  in  Anganwadi  centre  to  increase  the  awareness  and  bring desired changes in the dietary practices including the promotion of breastfeeding.
- MWCD has implemented the following schemes to address malnutrition:
- o Under Umbrella ICDS scheme of MWCD Supplementary Nutrition Programme is being implemented through platform of Anganwadi Cen tres (AWCs) for addressing under - nutrition in pregnant and lactating women, under - 6 child en and out - of - school adolescent girls.
- o Recently National Nutrition Mission has been approved under MWCD for addressing malnutrition status of the country in a compreh ensive manner.

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