Lok Sabha Question No. 253 (STARRED), answered on 2023-03-17
Subject: Scheme to improve Nutrition Level of Pregnant Women
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Dharmendra Kumar Kashyap

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 253

TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.03.2023

## SCHEME TO IMPROVE NUTRITION LEVEL OF PREGNANT WOMEN

- 253:   SHRI DHARMENDRA KASHYAP:

Will the Minister of Women and Child Development be pleased to state:

- a. Whether  the  Government  has  introduced  any  scheme  to  add  AYUSH component  to  the  ration  provided  by  Anganwadi  Centres  to  improve nutrition level of pregnant women;
- b. If so, the details and present status thereof;
- c. Whether the said scheme has been introduced in Uttar Pradesh; and
- d. If so, the details and outcome thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (d): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

*****

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (A) TO (D) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 253 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.03.2023 ASKED BY SHRI DHARMENDRA KASHYAP REGARDING ' SCHEME TO IMPROVE NUTRITION LEVEL OF PREGNANT WOMEN ' .

- (a) to  (d)  (i)   Supplementary  nutrition  is  provided  to  beneficiaries  through  the network  of  13.97  lakh  AWC  located  across  the  country  by  providing  morning snacks, Hot Cooked Meals  and Take Home Ration (not raw ration). The primary focus  of  the  Supplementary  Nutrition  Programme  is  to  bridge  the  gap  between recommended dietary allowance and the average daily intake. State governments have been advised by the Ministry of Women and Child Dvelopment to promote diet diversity,  agro-climatic  regional  meal  plans  and  adopt  AYUSH  practices  in  the Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP).
- (ii)      Government  has  approved ' Saksham  Anganwadi  and  Poshan  2.0 ' -  An Integrated  Nutrition  Support  Programme  scheme  of  MWCD,  during  the  15th Finance Commission period 2021-22 to 2025-26. The ' Common Core ' of Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 centre on Maternal Nutrition, Infant and Young Child Feeding Norms, Treatment Protocols for SAM/MAM and Wellness through AYUSH practices  to  reduce  wasting  and  under-weight  prevalence  besides  stunting  and anemia.
- (iii)      Under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, time-tested traditional wisdom  in  community  nutritional  practices  is  sought  to  be  leveraged  through Ayush  formulations  and  simple  Ayurveda  interventions  to  improve  digestive capacity,  absorption  of  nutrients,  address  anemia  and  aid  in  management  of malnutrition  for  the  holistic  nourishment  of  children,  pregnant  women  and lactating mothers.
- (iv)      As  per  the  guidelines  of  Mission  Saksham  Anganwadi  and  Poshan  2.0, convergence with Ministry of Ayush is envisaged as follows:
-  Populate  Poshan  Vatikas  with  medicinal  plant  and  saplings,  technical assistance, etc.
-  Recommend  local  recipes  integrating  locally  grown  vegetables  &  food substances, red rice, various millets etc. Ghee or locally produced oils in Take Home Ration (not raw ration) recipes and cow ' s milk
-  Recommend various AYUSH practices/products that have been successfully used for reducing wasting, anemia, and low birth weight and bolster immunity. In some districts of the country,  an Ayush component has been included in Take-Home Ration for Pregnant Women, Lactating Mother and Children.
- (v)    Ministry has also endorsed and circulated to all States/ UTs, general dietary advisory, advisory for pregnant  women,  lactating  mothers,  children,  specific recommendations for anemia in pregnancy and malnourished children, developed by Ministry of Ayush.

(vi)  As  per  the  Saksham  Anganwadi  and  Poshan  2.0  Scheme  guidelines  and Streamlined  Guidelines  issued  on  13 th   January  2021,  the  District  Nutrition Committee  chaired  by  the  District  Magistrate  includes  the  District -in  charge Ayush Officer as a member, with responsibilities as follows:

-  Focus on prevention of diseases and promote wellness through Yoga at AWCs and households.
-  Identify medicinal plants and herbs, fruit trees for cultivation in Poshan Vatikas

The Guidelines have emphasized on scaling-up of successful projects to manage anemia, e.g., pilot  on ' Drakshavaleha ' and  promote  use  of  AYUSH  diet  under Poshan 2.0 in co-ordination with Anganwadi Centres and Schools.

(vii) Government is encouraging setting up of Poshan Vatikas (Nutri-Gardens) at or near  Anganwadi  centers  (AWC),  state-owned  schools  wherever  possible,  and  on Gram Panchayat lands where women and children are most likely to benefit. This will help to provide food security and diet diversity to address malnutrition at the community  level;  address  micro  nutrient deficiency-related  malnutrition  and supplement staple-based diets/rations to meet requirements of essential nutrients with a significant amount of macro and micro nutrients.

(viii) Ayush practices focusing on prevention of diseases and promotion of wellness through Yoga, cultivation of medicinal herbs in Poshan Vatikas, and use of AYUSH formulations  to  treat  underlying  disorders  has  been  considered  under  Saksham Anganwadi  and  Poshan  2.0  for  the  holistic  nourishment  of  children,  pregnant women and lactating mothers. Total 41106 Poshan Vatikas has been developed in Uttar Pradesh (Annexure-I).

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## Number of Anganwadi Centres equipped with Poshan Vatika in Uttar Pradesh

| Sr. No   | District Name       |   (Number of Anganwadi Centres equipped with Poshan Vatika) |
|----------|---------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|
|          | Agra                |                                                         710 |
| 2.       | Aligarh             |                                                         690 |
| 3.       | Ambedkar Nagar      |                                                         510 |
| 4.       | Amethi              |                                                         389 |
| 5.       | Amroha              |                                                         286 |
| 6.       | Auraiya             |                                                         358 |
| 7.       | Ayodhya             |                                                         476 |
| 8.       | Azamgarh            |                                                        1518 |
| 9.       | Baghpat             |                                                         469 |
| 10.      | Bahraich            |                                                         708 |
| 11.      | Ballia              |                                                         694 |
| 12.      | Balrampur           |                                                         376 |
| 13.      | Banda               |                                                         441 |
| 14.      | Barabanki           |                                                         611 |
| 15.      | Bareilly            |                                                         571 |
| 16.      | Basti               |                                                         531 |
| 17.      | Bhadohi             |                                                         298 |
| 18.      | Bijnor              |                                                         636 |
| 19.      | Budaun              |                                                         588 |
| 20.      | Bulandshahr         |                                                         793 |
| 21.      | Chandauli           |                                                         375 |
| 22.      | Chitrakoot          |                                                         292 |
| 23.      | Deoria              |                                                         649 |
| 24.      | Etah                |                                                         373 |
| 25.      | Etawah              |                                                         313 |
| 26.      | Farrukhabad         |                                                         356 |
| 27.      | Fatehpur            |                                                         689 |
| 28.      | Firozabad           |                                                         608 |
| 29.      | Gautam Buddha Nagar |                                                         222 |
| 30.      | Ghaziabad           |                                                         275 |
| 31.      | Ghazipur            |                                                         825 |
| 32.      | Gonda               |                                                         619 |
| 33.      | Gorakhpur           |                                                         834 |
| 34.      | Hamirpur            |                                                         356 |
| 35.      | Hapur               |                                                         277 |
| 36.      | Hardoi              |                                                         786 |
| 37.      | Hathras             |                                                         342 |

| 38.   | Jalaun            |   383 |
|-------|-------------------|-------|
| 39.   | Jaunpur           |  1218 |
| 40.   | Jhansi            |   376 |
| 41.   | Kannauj           |   323 |
| 42.   | Kanpur Dehat      |   358 |
| 43.   | Kanpur Nagar      |   527 |
| 44.   | Kasganj           |   589 |
| 45.   | Kaushambi         |   355 |
| 46.   | Kheri             |   811 |
| 47.   | Kushi Nagar       |   827 |
| 48.   | Lalitpur          |   225 |
| 49.   | Lucknow           |   546 |
| 50.   | Maharajganj       |   627 |
| 51.   | Mahoba            |   176 |
| 52.   | Mainpuri          |   358 |
| 53.   | Mathura           |   473 |
| 54.   | Mau               |   617 |
| 55.   | Meerut            |   515 |
| 56.   | Mirzapur          |   534 |
| 57.   | Moradabad         |   548 |
| 58.   | Muzaffarnagar     |   455 |
| 59.   | Pilibhit          |   392 |
| 60.   | Pratapgarh        |   650 |
| 61.   | Prayagraj         |   900 |
| 62.   | Rae Bareli        |   667 |
| 63.   | Rampur            |   640 |
| 64.   | Saharanpur        |   682 |
| 65.   | Sambhal           |   516 |
| 66.   | Sant Kabeer Nagar |   543 |
| 67.   | Shahjahanpur      |   583 |
| 68.   | Shamli            |   281 |
| 69.   | Shravasti         |   285 |
| 70.   | Siddharth Nagar   |   728 |
| 71.   | Sitapur           |   846 |
| 72.   | Sonbhadra         |   536 |
| 73.   | Sultanpur         |   602 |
| 74.   | Unnao             |   680 |
| 75.   | Varanasi          |   890 |
|       | Total             | 41106 |