Lok Sabha Question No. 150 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-06-21
Subject: Infant Milk Substitutes
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Parvesh Sahib Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.150 TO BE ANSWERED ON 21.06.2019

## INFANT MILK SUBSTITUTES

## 150.  SHRI PARVESH SAHIB SINGH:

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

- (a) the percentage of infants in Delhi who have access to infant milk substitutes, feeding bottles and infant food;
- (b) the steps being taken by the Government to cover all the infants thereunder;
- (c) the rate of infant mortality in Delhi for last ten years; and
- (d) the schemes initiated by the Government to ensure basic amenities for all round development of infants applicable in Delhi as on date?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a & b) No such data is maintained by this Ministry. However, as per the WHO's Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding, infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health and thereafter, to meet their evolving nutritional requirements, infants should receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods while breastfeeding continues for up to two years of age or beyond. The same is also recommended in the National Guidelines on Infant and Young Child Feeding.

Further,  as  per  the  Infant  Milk  Substitutes  Feeding  Bottles,  and  Infant  Foods  (Regulation  of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 1993, as amended in 2003, infant milk substitute or infant food should be used only on the advice of a health worker.

(c) As per the Sample Registration Survey of the Registrar General of India, the Infant Mortality Rates for the last ten years is as under:

|           |   Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) |   Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) |   Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) |   Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) |   Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) |   Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) |   Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) |   Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) |   Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) |   Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) |
|-----------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|
|           |                          2008 |                          2009 |                          2010 |                          2011 |                          2012 |                          2013 |                          2014 |                          2015 |                          2016 |                          2017 |
| ALL INDIA |                            53 |                            50 |                            47 |                            44 |                            42 |                            40 |                            39 |                            37 |                            34 |                            33 |
| Delhi     |                            35 |                            33 |                            30 |                            28 |                            25 |                            24 |                            20 |                            18 |                            18 |                            16 |

(d) For all round development of infants, the Government is implementing following schemes in the country, including Delhi:

- (i) Anganwadi Services, which aims to improve the nutritional and health status of children in the agegroup  0-6  years,  pregnant  women  &  lactating  mothers  and  reduce  the  incidence  of  mortality, morbidity and malnutrition. Under the Scheme, a package of six services is provided through a network  of  Anganwadi  Centers,  which  include  supplementary  nutrition,  pre-school  non-formal education, nutrition & health education, immunization, health check-up and referral services.

(ii) Government has set up POSHAN Abhiyaan on 18.12.2017 for a three year time frame commencing from 2017-18 with an overall budget of Rs. 9046 Crore. To ensure a holistic approach, all 36 States/UTs and districts have been covered. The goals of POSHAN Abhiyaan are to achieve improvement in nutritional status of Children (0-6 years) among other target groups in a time bound manner.  The targets pertaining to children (0-6 years) which includes infants are as under:

|   S.No | Objective                                                                           | Target        |
|--------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------|
|      1 | Prevent and reduce Stunting in children (0- 6 years)                                | By 6% @2%p.a. |
|      2 | Prevent and reduce under-nutrition (underweight prevalence) in children (0-6 years) | By 6% @2%p.a. |
|      3 | Reduce the prevalence of anemia among young Children(6-59 months)                   | By 9% @3%p.a. |
|      4 | Reduce Low Birth Weight (LBW).                                                      | By 6% @2%p.a. |

(iii) Pradhan  Mantri  Matru  Vandana  Yojana,  which  is  a  centrally  sponsored  Conditional  Maternity Benefit scheme of the Ministry for pregnant and lactating women. Under the scheme, cash incentives are provided partly compensating for their wage loss subject to fulfilment of health and nutrition conditions. First and second instalment is payable during pregnancy while the third instalment is paid when the child has received first cycle of immunization of BCG, OPV, DPT and Hepatitis-B besides other fulfillment of other conditions.

(iv) Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is implementing various Child Health Programmes at national level  such  as  Janani  Suraksha  Yojana  (JSY),  Janani  Shishu  Suraksha  Karyakaram  (  JSSK),  Special Newborn Care Units ( SNCU), Newborn Stabilization Units ( NSBU) , Kangaroo Mother Care ( KMC) units, Comprehensive Lactation Management Centers, Home Based Newborn Care, Village Health and Nutrition Days, MAA Programme, Universal Immunization Programme, etc.

(v) Food and Nutrition  Board  under  the  Ministry  is  engaged  in  creating  awareness  on  health  and nutrition issues with strong focus on 'Infant and Young Child Feeding' (IYCF). National Guidelines on Infant and Young Child Feeding, 2006, have been issued, through which optimal Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices are emphasised. Infant Milk Substitutes Feeding Bottles, and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 1993, as amended 2003, has been enacted in the country to protect, promote and support breastfeeding and ensure proper use of infant foods.

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