Lok Sabha Question No. 1034 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-02-07
Subject: Committee on Malnutrition
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1034

TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.02.2020

## COMMITTEE ON MALNUTRITION

## 1034. SHRI SANJAY JADHAV:

Will the Minister of WOMEN ANDCHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- a) whether  the  Government  has  constituted  a  Committee  to  tackle  the  issue  of malnourishment among women and children in the rural/tribal/backward/remote/slum areas across the country;
- b) if so, the details thereof along with the number of children and women affected by malnourishment;
- c) whether  malnutrition  is  still  prevailing  in  the  country  despite  having  various schemes/programmes being implemented by the Government, if so, the details thereof along with the reasons; and
- d) the  concrete  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  tackle  the  problem  of malnutrition, State/UT-wise including Maharashtra?

## ANSWER

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

(a to c) The National Council on India's Nutritional Challenges has been set up under the Chairpersonship of Vice-Chairman, NITI Aayog, to provide policy directions to address India's nutritional challenges through coordinated inter-sectoral action and review programmes for nutrition on a quarterly basis. Also, an Executive Committee has been set up under the Chairpersonship of Secretary, MWCD with representation of  line  Ministries  and  States  for  nutrition  related  activities  for  children  and  women providing direction, policy and guidelines for implementation of various programmes/schemes under the POSHAN Abhiyaan.

As  per  the  report  of  NFHS-4  conducted  in  2015-16,  35.7%  children  under  5 years  of  age  are  underweight  and  38.4%  are  stunted.  As  per  the  recent  report  of Comprehensive  National  Nutrition  Survey  (CNNS)  (2016-18),  the  prevalence  of underweight  and  stunting  among  children  is  33.4%  and  34.7%  respectively,  which indicates a reduction when compared to the levels reported by NFHS-4. Further, as per  NFHS - 4, 22.9% women (15-49 years of age) have chronic energy deficiency (BMI less than 18.5) which is a decline from the previous NFHS-3 (2005-06) levels which reported 35.5% women having chronic energy deficiency.

Malnutrition is a complex and multi-dimensional issue, affected by a number of generic  factors  including  poverty,  inadequate  food  consumption  due  to  access  and availability,  inequitable  food  distribution,  improper  maternal,  infant  and  child  feeding and care practices, inequity and gender imbalances, poor sanitary and environmental conditions; and restricted access to quality health, education and social care services.

(d) The  Government  is  implementing  several  schemes/programmes  of  different Ministries/Departments  through  States/UTs  to  address  various  aspects  related  to nutrition.  This  Ministry  is  implementing  POSHAN  Abhiyaan,  Pradhan  Mantri  Matru Vandana  Yojana,  Anganwadi  Services  and  Scheme  for  Adolescent  Girls  under  the Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS) as direct targeted interventions to address the problem of malnutrition in the country including the State of Maharashtra.

Government  hasset  up  POSHAN  Abhiyaan  on  18.12.2017.  The  goals  of  POSHAN Abhiyaan are to achieve improvement in nutritional status of Children from 0-6 years, Adolescent Girls,  Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers in a time bound manner with fixed targets as under:

|   S.No. | Objective                                                                                          | Target   |
|---------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------|
|       1 | Prevent and reduce Stunting in children (0- 6 years)                                               | @2%p.a.  |
|       2 | Prevent and reduce under-nutrition (underweight prevalence) in children (0-6 years)                | @2%p.a.  |
|       3 | Reduce the prevalence of anaemia among young Children(6-59 months)                                 | @3%p.a.  |
|       4 | Reduce the prevalence of anaemia among Women and Adolescent Girls in the age group of 15-49 years. | @3%p.a.  |
|       5 | Reduce Low Birth Weight (LBW).                                                                     | @2%p.a.  |

The Abhiyaan aims to reduce malnutrition in the country in a phased manner, through a  life  cycle  approach,  by  adopting  a  synergised  and  result  oriented  approach.  The major activities undertaken under the POSHAN Abhiyan are community mobilization including  community  based  events,  creating  awareness,  advocacy  leading  to  Jan Andolan- to educate the people on nutritional aspects.

In the State of Maharashtra, following additional measures have been taken:

-  Verification  of  data  entered  in  Common  Application  Software  with  regards  to number of SAM children.
-  Increased focus on home visits and institutional deliveries.
-  Additionally, children (6 months to 6 years) receive eggs and bananas, 4 times a week in all tribal projects across the State.
-  Under Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Amrut Aahar Yojna in tribal areas, 1 square meal is provided  to  pregnant  and  lactating  women,  which  contains  1215kcal  and 39.51g proteins.

Further  steps  taken  under  the  National  Health  Mission  (NHM),  a  flagship programme of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, to address malnutrition inter alia include  promotion  of  appropriate  Infant  and  Young  Child  Feeding  (IYCF)  practices, Anaemia  Mukt  Bharat,  Iron  and  Folic  Acid  (IFA)  supplementation,  de-worming, promotion of iodized salt, Vitamin-A supplementation, Mission Indradhanush to ensure high  coverage  of  vaccination  in  children,  conducting  intensified  diarrhoea  control fortnights to control childhood diarrhoea, management of sick severely malnourished children at Nutrition Rehabilitation Centers, monthly Village Health and Nutrition Days, Home Based  Newborn  Care  (HBNC)  and  Home  Based  Young  Child  Care  (HBYC) programmes, Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, etc.

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