Lok Sabha Question No. 206 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-12-15
Subject: Status of Malnutrition
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: RAVINDRA KUMAR PANDEY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 206 TO BE ANSWERED ON 15.12.2017

## STATUS OF MALNUTRITION

## 206. SHRI RAVINDRA KUMAR PANDEY:

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

- (a) whether the Government has reviewed the status of malnutrition amongst children and adolescent girls in Jharkhand and the rest of the country;
- (b) if so, the details and the outcome thereof; and
- (c) the action taken or proposed to be taken by the Government to plug the shortcomings?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINSTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (DR. VIRENDRA KUMAR)

- (a) & (b)   The status of malnutrition in the country amongst children and adolescent girls is covered under the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted periodically by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.  The details are as under:
- (c) The  Ministry  is  implementing  several  schemes  and  programs  like  Anganwadi Services under the Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services Scheme, Scheme for  Adolescent  Girls  and  Pradhan  Mantri  Matru  Vandana  Yojna  as  direct  targeted interventions to address the problem of malnutrition in the country. Recently, National Nutrition Mission has been set up to act as an apex body for monitoring and guiding the nutrition related issues of various government schemes.

| Indicator                                                                      | As per NFHS-4   | As per NFHS-3   |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------|-----------------|
| Malnutrition among children <5 years - national level                          | 35.7%           | 42.5%           |
| Malnutrition among children <5 years - Jharkhand                               | 47.8%           | 56.5%           |
| Adolescent Girls BMI (women in the age group of 15-49 years), - national level | 22.9%           | 35.5%           |
| Adolescent Girls BMI (women in the age group of 15-49 years) - Jharkhand       | 31.5%           | 42.9%           |
| Anaemia - national level                                                       | 53%             | 55.3%           |
| Anaemia - Jharkhand                                                            | 65.2%           | 69.5%           |

Besides,  Food  and  Nutrition  Board  (FNB)  of  the  Ministry  of  Women  and Child Development with its 43 field units in India is engaged in creating awareness in nutrition  in  collaboration  with  State  Government  /  institutions  through  exhibitions; advertisement in audio-visual and print media; lectures promoting the consumption of balanced  diets  and  inclusion  of  fruits  and  vegetables  in  daily  diets  in  addition  to demonstrations of low cost nutritious recipes using locally available foods; training of field  functionaries  and  training  in  food  preservation  for  grassroots  level  workers; celebration of nutrition related events, etc.

All these schemes address one or other aspects related to nutrition and have the  potential  to  improve  nutritional  outcomes  in  the  country.  As  a  result  of  these concerted efforts,  the  level  of  malnutrition  has  reduced  in  the  country  as  is  evident from the recent report of National Family Health Survey (NFHS) - 4, 2015-16.

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