Lok Sabha Question No. 1895 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-12-29
Subject: Daily Nutrition Entitlement for Women and Children
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: DEEPENDER SINGH HOODA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1895 TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.12.2017

## DAILY NUTRITION ENTITLEMENT FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN

## 1895.  SHRI DEEPENDER SINGH HOODA:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  the  daily  nutrition  entitlement  for  children  and  pregnant  and  lactating women under the Supplementary Nutrition Programme of the ICDS Scheme;
- (b) the time by which the daily entitlement was last revised;
- (c) whether the Government plans to revise the daily entitlement for children and pregnant and  lactating  women  in  light  of  the  recent  decline  in  India's  ranking  in  the  Global Hunger Index (GHI); and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (Dr. VIRENDRA KUMAR)

- (a) Supplementary  Nutrition  under  the  Anganwadi  Services  of  the  Umbrella  ICDS Scheme is provided to children under-6 years of age, pregnant women and lactating mothers.  The  details  of  daily  nutrition  entitlement  for  children  and  pregnant  and lactating women as provided under Schedule II of National Food Security Act, 2013 are as under:
- (b) The  Revised  Nutrition  and  Feeding  norms  for  supplementary  nutrition  under  the Anganwadi  Services  scheme  of  the  umbrella  ICDS  were  issued  on  24.02.2009. Subsequently, the National Food Security Act was promulgated in 2013. Sections 4,5

|   S.No. | Category                                            | Type of meal                      |   Calories (Kcal) | Protein(g)   |
|---------|-----------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-------------------|--------------|
|       1 | Children (6 months to 3 years)                      | Take Home Ration                  |               500 | 12-15        |
|       2 | Children (3 to 6 years)                             | Morning snack and Hot Cooked Meal |               500 | 12-15        |
|       3 | Children (6 months to 6 years) who are malnourished | Take Home Ration                  |               800 | 20-25        |
|       4 | Pregnant women and Lactating mothers                | Take Home Ration                  |               600 | 18-20        |

& 6 of the said Act mandates the nutritional entitlement for children and pregnant women and lactating mothers. Schedule II of the aforesaid Act prescribes nutritional norms  for  the  aforesaid  beneficiaries.    In  pursuance  of  Section  39  of  the  Act, Supplementary Nutrition (under ICDS) Rules were notified on 20.02.2017; a copy of which was laid on the Table of both the Houses of Parliament.

- (c ) & (d)    The position of the country in Global Hunger Index (GHI) is dependent on four  component  indicators  namely  undernourishment,  child  wasting,  child  stunting and  child mortality which  are  used  to arrive at  the  GHI  scores.  Therefore, improvement in position in GHI is directly related to the improvement in nutritional outcomes in the country, for which several schemes are being implemented by the Government, which inter alia include Anganwadi Services, Scheme for Adolescent Girls and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana implemented by this Ministry as direct  targeted  interventions  to  reduce  the  levels  of  malnutrition  in  the  country. Supplementary Nutrition under the Anganwadi Services Scheme is provided in order to  bridge  the  gap  between  the  Recommended  Dietary  Allowances  for  Indians prescribed  by  the  Indian  Council  of  Medical  Research  and  the  Average  Dietary Intake  among  the  population  based  on  the  National  Surveys.  Accordingly,  the nutrition norms under the programme are formulated to bridge this gap.

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