Lok Sabha Question No. 2238 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-07-29
Subject: Poshan Abhiyan
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Bhartruhari Mahtab

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UN-STARRED QUESTION NO. 2238

TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.07.2022

## 'POSHAN ABHIYAN'

## 2238   SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB:

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

- (a) whether the Government has launched 'Poshan Abhiyan' to improve nutritional indicators among women and children and if so, the details thereof;
- (b)      the details of targets set and achievements made under 'Poshan Abhiyan' during each of the last three years and the current year;
- (c) whether as per the National Family Health Survey(NFHS)5, cases of prevalence of anaemia in children and adolescent girls have increased and if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise;
- (d) whether as per the National Family Health Survey(NFHS)5, cases of stunting has also increased and if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise; and
- (e) the necessary steps taken by the Government to bring down such prevalence of anemia and stunting among women, children and adolescent girls in the country along with the funds allocated/utilized under 'Poshan Abhiyan' during each of the last three years and the current year?

## ANSWER

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

(a) POSHAN  Abhiyaan  was  launched  on  8th  March  2018  with  an  aim  to  achieve improvement in nutritional status of Children under 6 years, Adolescent Girls, Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers in a time bound manner by adopting a synergised and result oriented approach. The Abhiyaan addresses malnutrition issues across the nation through  components  like  ICT  Application,  Convergence,  Community  Mobilization, Behavioural  Change  &  Jan  Andolan,  Capacity  Building,  Incentives  and  Awards,  and Innovations.

- (b) The targets under the Abhiyaan are to prevent and reduce stunting and undernutrition  in  children  (0-  6  years)  @  2%  p.a.,  reduce  prevalence  of  anemia  among children (6-59 months) and among women and adolescent girls in the age group of 1549  years  @3%  p.a.  and  reduce  low  birth  weight  @2%  p.a..   Achievements  under POSHAN Abhiyaan are as follows:

i.  As  per  the  recent  report  of  NFHS-5  (2019-21),  the  nutrition  indicators  for  children under  5  years  have  improved  as  compared  with  NFHS-4  (2015-16).  Stunting  has reduced from 38.4% to 35.5%, and Underweight prevalence has reduced from 35.8% to 32.1%.

ii. The Abhiyan has been rolled out in all 36 States/ UTs of the country iii.  Under  the  Abhiyan,  for  the  first  time,  Anganwadi  Centres  were  empowered  with mobile devices. 11.30 lakh Smart Phones and 11.94 lakh GMDs have been procured by the States/UTs. till date.

iv.  A  robust  ICT  Application  'Poshan  Tracker'  has  been  conceptualized  which  is  an overarching  system,  providing  facilities,  services  and  inter-linkages,  and  thereby  also promote real time data with analytics. Around 12.63 lakh AWCs have started using the ICT Application.

v.  More  than  40  crore  Jan  Andolan  based  activities  have  been  conducted  since  the launch of the Abhiyaan.

vi. Total four (4) Poshan Pakhwadas and four (4) Poshan Maahs have been conducted since  the  launch  of  the  Abhiyaan.  Poshan  Pakhwada  2022  (celebrated  from  21st March-4th  April)  witnessed  approximately,  2.96  crore  Jan  Andolan  based  activities. Similarly,  September,  2021  was  celebrated  as  the  Rashtriya  Poshan  Maah,  wherein, 20.32 crore activities were conducted across the country.

vii.  More than 10 lakh Frontline Functionaries have been trained on thematic modules following the cascade mode of training at State, District and Block level.

viii.  Community  Based  Events  (CBEs)  are  organized  in  a  converged  manner  in Anganwadi  Centres  with  the  field  functionaries.  Around  3.70  crore  CBEs  have  been organized since the launch of the Abhiyaan.

ix. Area-wise diet charts were laid on the Table in Lok Sabha on 15thSeptember 2020 and  23rd  September  2020.  Further,  the  diet  charts  have  also  been  uploaded  on Ministry's website in English and Hindi

- (c) The  prevalence  of  anemia  is  67.1  percent  in  children  (6-59  months)  and  59.1 percent in adolescent girls (15-19 years) as per NFHS-5. The State/UT-wise details for prevalence of anemia in children and adolescent girls as per NFHS 5 and NFHS 4 is provided at Annexure I.

(d) The estimated number of stunted children under 5 years of age is obtained under National Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.  As  per  the  recent  report  of  NFHS-5  (2019-21),  the  prevalence  of  stunting among children under 5 years has improved as compared with NFHS-4 (2015-16). It has reduced from 38.4% to 35.5%. The State/UT-wise details for prevalence of stunting in children under 5 years as per NFHS 5 and NFHS 4 is provided at Annexure II.

(e)  In  2018,  Government  of  India  launched  the  Anemia  Mukt  Bharat  (AMB)  strategy under  Ministry  of  Health  and  Family  Welfare,  with  the  target  for  reducing  anemia  in women, children  and adolescents. The  strategy  aims  to  cover  children  6-59  months, children 5-9 years, adolescents 10-19 years, women of reproductive age (15-49 years), pregnant  women  and  lactating  women  through  newer  interventions  implemented  via robust  institutional  mechanisms.  The  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  address  the problem of anemia include, inter alia, distribution of Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation  in  all   target  age  groups,  intensified  year-round  Behavior  Change Communication (BCC) Campaign for awareness generation on prevention and control of  anemia,  de-worming,  testing  and  treatment  of  anemia,  using  digital  methods  and point  of  care  treatment,  Convergence  and  coordination  with  line  departments  and ministries for strengthening implementation etc

Government has accorded high priority to the issue of malnutrition and is implementing several  schemes/programmes  of  different  Ministries/Departments  through  States/UTs to  address  various  aspects  related  to  nutrition.  Under  Poshan  Abhiyan,  steps  have been taken to improve nutritional quality and testing, strengthen delivery and leverage technology under Poshan  Tracker a robust ICT enabled platform, to improve governance  with  regard  to  real  time  monitoring  and  provisioning  of  supplementary nutrition for prompt supervisions and management of services. Further, Guidelines were issued for transparency and accountability in delivery of supplementary nutrition and to track nutritional outcomes on 13.01.2021.

The five key components critical for health and well-being or 'Poshan ke Paanch Sutra' are communicated under the Poshan Abhiyan with focus on the importance of the first 1,000 days of a child, importance of diarrhoea management, locally-available nutritious food, sanitation and hygiene and anaemia  prevention. Further important focus has   been on  'Behaviour  Change  Communication' or BCC through community based events  and  Jan  Andolan  to  address  inadequate  and  inappropriate  infant  and  young child feeding practices, nutrition and care during pregnancy and adolescence.

Themes  have  included  overall nutrition, hygiene, water and  sanitation,  anemia prevention,  importance  of  breast-feeding,  growth  monitoring,   AYUSH  for  Well-being, 'Back to Basics - Yoga for Health', importance of Poshan Vatikas for cultivation of local vegetables,  medicinal  plants/herbs  and  fruits  at  the  community  level,  Poshan  ke Paanch Sutra,cycle rallies, defeat diarrhea campaigns, etc

The total funds allocated under POSHAN Abhiyaan during each of the last three years is at Annexure III .

****

Annexure I State/UT  wise  prevalence  of  anemia  in  children  and  adolescent  girls  as  per  NFHS  5  vs

NFHS 4

| Sl.No.   | State/UT          | Children (6-59 months) who are anaemic (<11.0 g/dl) (%)   | Children (6-59 months) who are anaemic (<11.0 g/dl) (%)   | Adolescent girl (15-19 years) who are anaemic (<12.0 g/dl) (%)   | Adolescent girl (15-19 years) who are anaemic (<12.0 g/dl) (%)   |
|----------|-------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sl.No.   | State/UT          | NFHS-5                                                    | NFHS-4                                                    | NFHS-5                                                           | NFHS-4                                                           |
|          | India             | 67.1                                                      | 58.6                                                      | 59.1                                                             | 54.1                                                             |
| 1        | A&N Island        | 40.0                                                      | 49.0                                                      | 44.9                                                             | 68.1                                                             |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh    | 63.2                                                      | 58.6                                                      | 60.1                                                             | 61.1                                                             |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh | 56.6                                                      | 54.2                                                      | 48.5                                                             | 48.2                                                             |
| 4        | Assam             | 68.4                                                      | 35.7                                                      | 67.0                                                             | 42.7                                                             |
| 5        | Bihar             | 69.4                                                      | 63.5                                                      | 65.7                                                             | 61.0                                                             |
| 6        | Chandigarh        | 54.6                                                      | 73.1                                                      | 57.7                                                             | 74.7                                                             |
| 7        | Chhattisgarh      | 67.2                                                      | 41.6                                                      | 61.4                                                             | 45.5                                                             |
| 8        | Delhi             | 69.2                                                      | 59.7                                                      | 51.6                                                             | 55.1                                                             |
| 9        | DNH&DD            | 75.8                                                      | 82.0                                                      | 63.9                                                             | 75.9                                                             |
| 10       | Goa               | 53.2                                                      | 48.3                                                      | 44.5                                                             | 30.5                                                             |
| 11       | Gujarat           | 79.7                                                      | 62.6                                                      | 69.0                                                             | 56.5                                                             |
| 12       | Haryana           | 70.4                                                      | 71.7                                                      | 62.3                                                             | 62.7                                                             |
| 13       | Himachal Pradesh  | 55.4                                                      | 53.7                                                      | 53.2                                                             | 52.7                                                             |
| 14       | Jammu &Kashmir    | 72.7                                                      | 53.8                                                      | 76.2                                                             | 49.9                                                             |
| 15       | Jharkhand         | 67.5                                                      | 69.9                                                      | 65.8                                                             | 65.0                                                             |
| 16       | Karnataka         | 65.5                                                      | 60.9                                                      | 49.4                                                             | 45.3                                                             |
| 17       | Kerala            | 39.4                                                      | 35.7                                                      | 32.5                                                             | 37.8                                                             |
| 18       | Ladakh            | 92.5                                                      | 91.4                                                      | 96.9                                                             | 81.6                                                             |
| 19       | Lakshadweep       | 43.1                                                      | 53.6                                                      | 31.4                                                             | 59.0                                                             |
| 20       | Madhya Pradesh    | 72.7                                                      | 68.9                                                      | 58.1                                                             | 53.2                                                             |
| 21       | Maharashtra       | 68.9                                                      | 53.8                                                      | 57.2                                                             | 49.7                                                             |
| 22       | Manipur           | 42.8                                                      | 23.9                                                      | 27.9                                                             | 21.1                                                             |
| 23       | Meghalaya         | 45.1                                                      | 48.0                                                      | 52.5                                                             | 52.1                                                             |
| 24       | Mizoram           | 46.4                                                      | 19.3                                                      | 34.9                                                             | 21.3                                                             |
| 25       | Nagaland          | 42.7                                                      | 26.4                                                      | 33.9                                                             | 26.3                                                             |
| 26       | Odisha            | 64.2                                                      | 44.6                                                      | 65.5                                                             | 51.0                                                             |
| 27       | Puducherry        | 64.0                                                      | 44.9                                                      | 58.4                                                             | 55.0                                                             |
| 28       | Punjab            | 71.1                                                      | 56.6                                                      | 60.3                                                             | 58.0                                                             |
| 29       | Rajasthan         | 71.5                                                      | 60.3                                                      | 59.4                                                             | 49.1                                                             |
| 30       | Sikkim            | 56.4                                                      | 55.1                                                      | 46.7                                                             | 48.7                                                             |
| 31       | Tamil Nadu        | 57.4                                                      | 50.7                                                      | 52.9                                                             | 54.2                                                             |
| 32       | Telangana         | 70.0                                                      | 60.7                                                      | 64.7                                                             | 59.7                                                             |
| 33       | Tripura           | 64.3                                                      | 48.3                                                      | 67.9                                                             | 52.2                                                             |
| 34       | Uttar Pradesh     | 66.4                                                      | 63.2                                                      | 52.9                                                             | 53.7                                                             |
| 35       | Uttarakhand       | 58.8                                                      | 59.8                                                      | 40.9                                                             | 46.4                                                             |
| 36       | West Bengal       | 69.0                                                      | 54.2                                                      | 70.8                                                             | 62.2                                                             |

## State/UT wise prevalence of stunting among children under five years of age as per National Family Health Survey (NFHS)

| S. No.   | Name of State/UT                   | Stunting (%)     | Stunting (%)     |
|----------|------------------------------------|------------------|------------------|
| S. No.   | Name of State/UT                   | NHFS 4 (2015-16) | NHFS 5 (2019-21) |
| 1        | Andaman &Nicobar Islands           | 23.3             | 22.5             |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh                     | 31.4             | 31.2             |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh                  | 29.4             | 28               |
| 4        | Assam                              | 36.4             | 35.3             |
| 5        | Bihar                              | 48.3             | 42.9             |
| 6        | Chandigarh                         | 28.7             | 25.3             |
| 7        | Chhattisgarh                       | 37.6             | 34.6             |
| 8        | Dadra &Nagar Haveli and Daman& Diu | 37.2             | 39.4             |
| 9        | Delhi                              | 31.9             | 30.9             |
| 10       | Goa                                | 20.1             | 25.8             |
| 11       | Gujarat                            | 38.5             | 39               |
| 12       | Haryana                            | 34               | 27.5             |
| 13       | Himachal Pradesh                   | 26.3             | 30.8             |
| 14       | Jammu &Kashmir                     | 27.4             | 26.9             |
| 15       | Jharkhand                          | 45.3             | 39.6             |
| 16       | Karnataka                          | 36.2             | 35.4             |
| 17       | Kerala                             | 19.7             | 23.4             |
| 18       | Lakshadweep                        | 26.8             | 32               |
| 19       | Ladakh                             | 30.9             | 30.5             |
| 20       | Madhya Pradesh                     | 42               | 35.7             |
| 21       | Maharashtra                        | 34.4             | 35.2             |
| 22       | Manipur                            | 28.9             | 23.4             |
| 23       | Meghalaya                          | 43.8             | 46.5             |
| 24       | Mizoram                            | 28.1             | 28.9             |
| 25       | Nagaland                           | 28.6             | 32.7             |
| 26       | Orissa                             | 34.1             | 31               |
| 27       | Puducherry                         | 23.7             | 20               |
| 28       | Punjab                             | 25.7             | 24.5             |
| 29       | Rajasthan                          | 39.1             | 31.8             |
| 30       | Sikkim                             | 29.6             | 22.3             |
| 31       | Tamil Nadu                         | 27.1             | 25               |
| 32       | Telangana                          | 28               | 33.1             |
| 33       | Tripura                            | 24.3             | 32.3             |
| 34       | Uttar Pradesh                      | 46.3             | 39.7             |
| 35       | Uttarakhand                        | 33.5             | 27               |

## Annexure III

Total funds allocated under POSHAN Abhiyaan in each of the last three years (FY 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22) Amount in ₹ lakhs

| Funds allocated in   | Funds allocated in   | Funds allocated in   |
|----------------------|----------------------|----------------------|
| FY 2019-20           | FY 2020-21           | FY 2021-22           |
| 171458.77            | 20844.66             | 14597.59             |