Lok Sabha Question No. 4745 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-23
Subject: Urban Hunger and Malnutrition Study
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: DHANANJAY BHIMRAO MAHADIK, JAGDAMBIKA PAL, RAJEEV SHANKARRAO SATAV, MAULANA BADRUDDIN AJMAL, SUPRIYA SADANAND SULE, P.R. SUNDARAM, JAYAKUMAR JAYAVARDHAN, GOPALAKRISHNAN CHINNARAJ

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTIO N NO. 4745 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23 rd MARCH, 2018

## URBAN HUNGER AND MAL NUTRITION STUDY

## 4745. SHRI DHANANJAY MAHADIK:

SHRI JAGDAMBIKA PAL:

SHRI SATAV RAJEEV:

SHRI BADRUDDIN AJMAL:

SHRIMATI SUPRIYA SULE:

SHRI P.R. SUNDARAM:

DR. J. JAYAVARDHAN:

DR. C. GOPALAKRISHNAN:

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

- (a) whether India ranks high in the worldin terms of the number of stunted children and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether as per the Urban Hunger a d Malnutrition (HUNGAMA) study conducted in 10 cities one in four urban children in India under the age of 5 is stunted, if so, the details th ereof alongwith other findings of the study;
- (c) the reasons for increase in the number of stunted children;
- (d)  the  details  of  the  schemes/ programmes  being  implemented  by  the Government  to overcome the aforesaid problem and the funds allocated/release d and utilised along with the achievements made during each of the last three years and the current year, scheme and State/ UT - wise including Bihar; and
- (e) the steps being taken by the Government to eradicate the malnutrition in the country?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a): As per NFHS- 4 (2015 - 16) an estimated number of 46.8 million under five children in India are stunted and this represents one - third of total stunted childr en across the globe.

(b)& (c)

- As per the report of the Urban HUNGAMA Survey 2014 released by Nandi Foundation, 22.3% children under five years of age are stunted. The survey was conducted only i cities  of  the  country  namely  Mumbai,  Delhi,  Bangaluru ,  Hyderabad,  Ahmadabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Surat, Pune and Jaipur.
- The other findings of this study are as follows:
- o The prevalence  of  stunting  ranged  from  10.0%  in  Chennai  to  19.4%  in Ahmedabad,  and  severe  stunting  ranged  from  4.8%  in  Chennai  to  11.7%  in Delhi.
- o The prevalence of underweight ranged from 10.8% in Chennai to 19.3% in Surat, and severe underweight ranged from 2.7% in Chennai to 6.7% in Delhi.
- o The  prevalence  of  overweight  ranged  from  0.7%  in  Hyderabad  to  3.7%  in Chennai and severe overweight or obese ranged from 0.5% in Jaipur and Mumbai to 1.8% in Chennai.
- o The Survey 2014 also showed that malnutrition was significantly more prevale among children whose mothers had little or no schooling.
- However,  a s  per  the  recent  report  of  National  Family  H ealth  Survey  (NFHS) -4 conducted by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2015 - 16, 38.4% children under 5 years of age are stunted indicating a reduction from the previous NFHS -3 conducted in 2005 - 06, which reported 48% children under 5 years of age as stunted.

## (d)& (e):

- The  Government  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  targete d interventions to address the problem of malnutrition in the country under Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD).
- Recently, POSHAN Abhiyaanhas been launched which is an overarching scheme for holistic  nourishment  by bringing  synergy  and  convergence  especially  among Nutrition, Health and sanitation centric schemes/ programme.
- Besides,  Food  and  Nutrition  Board  (FNB)  of  the  Ministry  of  Women  a nd  Child Development  with  its  43  field  units  in  India  is engaged  in  creating  awareness  o n nutrition  in  collaboration  with  State  Government  /  institutions  through  exhibi advertisement in audio - v sual and print media; lectures promoting the consumption of balanced  diets  and  inclusion  of  fruits  and  vegetables  in  daily  diets  in  addi demonstrations of low cost nutritious recipes using locally available foods; tra field  functionaries  and  training  in  food  preservation  for  grassroots  level  w ers; celebration of nutrition related events, etc.
- Government of India is also implementing various health and nutrition interventions to prevent malnutrition ,under National Health Mission (NHM) a flagship scheme of Ministry  of  Health  and  Family  Welfare  ( MoHFW ).  These  interventions  are  as follows:
- o Promotion  of  appropriate  Infant  and  Young  Child  Feeding  (IYCF)  practices that include early initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding t ill 6 months of age through ASHA worker and health care provider at health facilities. In ord promote and support breastfeeding, Government has implemented ' MAA -Mothers' Absolute Affection' programme to improve breastfeeding coverage and appropriate breastfeeding practices in the country. A greater emphasis is laid on capacity b of the health workers on lactation management at both community and facility le and 360 degree IEC campaign to create awareness regarding breastfeeding.
- o Micro- supplementation  programmes  for  tackling  micronutrient  deficiency  among vulnerable age group such as pregnant women, under - five children and adolescents.
- Vitamin A supplementation (VAS) for children till the age of 5 years.
- 'National Iron Plus Initiative' for s upplementation and treatment of anaemia in children,  adolescents,  pregnant  and  lactating  women,  in  programme  mode through life cycle approach. This involves, - weekly bi IFA syrup supplementation to children 6 -59 months, weekly IFA tablet supplementation t o children 5 -10 years and adolescents 10 -19 years, and IFA tablets to pregnant and lactating women.
- Promotion for intake of iodised salt and monitoring salt quality through testing under National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Programme.
- o National De - worming Day as a fixed day strategy to administer Albendazole tablets t all the children in the age group of 1 - 19  years  through th e platform of AWCs and Schools which results in good nutritional outcomes and prevents anemia.
- o Incentive sare provided t o ASHA for tracking of Low birth weight babies .
- o Mission  Indradhanush  has  been  implemented with  the  objective  to  ensure  high coverage of children with all vaccines in the entire country with a high focus reaching the unreached districts and seeks to achieve 90% full immunization coverage of India by year 2020.
- o Prevention of childhood illness such as diarrheal diseases in turn prevents childhood malnutrition. Control  of childhood  diarrhoea is  being  carried  out  by  conducting annual  Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnights (IDCFs). During  IDCF community mobilisation is carried out by frontline workers for treatment of childhood dia by ORS and zinc along with interpersonal counselling on hygiene and sanitation.
- o Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) provides child health screening for 30 common  health  conditions including  nutritional  status  screening  and  provides  free referral and treatment facilities for screened children.
- o Village Hea lth 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 Development for addressing the nutrition concerns in children, pregnant wom and lactating mothers. Village Health and Nutrition Days (VHNDs) are monthly days held at village level in Anganwadi centre to increase the awareness and bring desired  changes  in  the  dietary  practices  including the  promotion  of  breastfeeding through group counsell ing sessions.