Lok Sabha Question No. 2080 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-07-29
Subject: Awareness about Malnutrition
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Parbatbhai Savabhai Patel, Naranbhai Bhikhabhai Kachhadiya

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2080

TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.07.2022

## AWARENESS ABOUT MALNUTRITION

2080. SHRI PARBATBHAI SAVABHAI PATEL: SHRI NARANBHAI KACHHADIYA:

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

- (a) the measures being taken by the Government to make rural women aware and educated about malnutrition across the country; and;
- (b) the  measures  being taken by the Government  to impart knowledge  on malnutrition in the rural and tribal areas of Gujarat?

## ANSWER

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

- (a)        Government  has  accorded  high  priority  to  the  issue  of  malnutrition.  POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched on 8th March 2018 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 Abhiyan is rolled out in all districts of the 36 States/ UTs of the country.  A novel feature of POSHAN  Abhiyaan  has  been  its  focus on social and behavioural change communications thus paving the way for a mass movement to promote transformative change,  referred  to  as  Jan  Andolan.  An  important  focus  has  therefore  been  on 'Behaviour Change Communication' or BCC to address inadequate and inappropriate infant  and  young  child  feeding  practices,  nutrition  and  care  during  pregnancy  and adolescence

Community Based Events or CBEs have served as a significant strategy in changing nutrition  practices.  CBEs  help  to  celebrate  critical  milestones  in  the  life  of  pregnant women and children below two years of age. The gatherings serve as a platform for disseminating  essential  messages  and  to  counsel  pregnant  and  lactating  women  on appropriate nutrition  and  health  behaviour. The  events  are  organised  every  month  at the  Anganwadi  centre  (AWC)  and  primarily  focus  on  promotion  of  maternal  nutrition (Godhbharai)  and/  or  initiation  of  appropriate  complementary  feeding  (Annaprasan). Community Based Events (CBEs) have thus strengthened the processes for community engagement and empowered beneficiaries.

At a national level, the Rashtriya Poshan Maah is celebrated in the month of September across  the  country  while  Poshan  Pakhwada  is  celebrated  in  March.Themes  have included overall nutrition, hygiene, water and sanitation, anemia prevention, importance of  breast-feeding,  growth  monitoring,  role  of  Poshan  Panchayats,  AYUSH  for  Wellbeing, '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,  Nukkad  Natak/Folk  Shows, SHG meetings,etc.More than 40 crore activities have been carried out under Poshan Maah  and  Poshan  Pakhwadaand  3.70  lakh  CBEs  have  been  conducted  since  the launch of the Abhiyaan

The efforts under the Supplementary Nutrition Programme under Anganwadi Services and POSHAN  Abhiyaan  have  been rejuvenated and converged as 'Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0' (Mission Poshan 2.0). It seeks to address the challenges of  malnutrition  in  children,  adolescent  girls,  pregnant  women  and  lactating  mothers through a strategic shift in nutrition content and delivery and by creation of a convergent eco-system  to  develop  and  promote  practices  that  nurture  health,  wellness  and immunity.

Poshan  2.0  focuses  on  Maternal  Nutrition,  Infant  and  Young  Child  Feeding  Norms, Treatment  of  MAM/SAM  and  Wellness  through  AYUSH.  It  will  rest  on  the  pillars  of Convergence,  Governance,  and  Capacity-building.  Poshan  Abhiyan  will  be  the  key pillar  for  Outreach  and  will  cover  innovations  related  to  nutritional  support,  ICT interventions, Media Advocacy and Research, Community Outreach and Jan Andolan. Under  Poshan  2.0,  focus  is  on  diet  diversity,  food  fortification,  leveraging  traditional systems of knowledge and popularizing use of millets. Nutrition awareness strategies under  Poshan  2.0  aim  to  develop  sustainable  health  and  well-being  through  local produce and regional meal plans to bridge dietary gaps.

- (b)        In  the  State  of  Gujarat,  following  initiatives  have  been  taken  to  educate  the women regarding the issues of malnutrition:
- i.               Mangal  Diwas:  To  engage  the  community  with  the  Anganwadi  center services, four Tuesdays of each month are celebrated as Mangal Diwas:
-              First  Tuesday  (Suposhan  Samvad):  Community  meeting  is  organized  in  the presence of local representatives and motivators especially mother-in-law, community influencers,  pregnant  and  lactating  mothers  and  other  women's  are  invited  and orientation done by the AWW on topics related to nutrition and ill effects of malnutrition.
-              Second  Tuesday  (Bal  Tula):  Growth  assessment  of  each  child  is  done  in presence  of  mothers  and  influencers,  followed  by  counseling  on  food  habits  and importance of balance diets.
-              Third  Tuesday  (Annaprashan  Diwas):  Promotion  of  complementary  feeding, adequate diet and diet diversity among women.
-              Fourth  Tuesday  (Anna  Vithran  &  Purna  Diwas):  Distribution  of  Take  Home Ration among enrolled beneficiaries, especially pregnant women, lactating mothers and mothers of children (6 months to 3 years). Counselling session is organized to promote healthy diet and importance of micronutrients for prevention from diseases and ensure healthy life. Simultaneously, Purna diwas is celebrated targeting Adolescent Girls (1118 years). Nutrition and health education session with group activities are carried out at AWCs.

ii.             Use of Social Media: AWW has created social media groups of beneficiaries and  village  members  to  share  messages  regarding  the  importance  of  nutrition  and practices for the healthy lifestyle to prevent malnutrition. iii.             Rallies,  slogan  writing,  Prabhat  Feri  and  other  activities  are  organized  from time to time at various levels, targeting community especially women to sensitize them to prevent themselves and family from falling under malnutrition. iv.            Distribution  of  IEC  Material:  IEC  materials  are  distributed  to  AWWs  for disseminating right messages and various rasoi shows are organized to demonstrate correct cooking methods and promote right foods to consume. v.             World  breastfeeding  Week  and  Poshan  Maah  are  celebrated,  wherein different activities under convergence are carried out at village level. In Tribal districts, under POSHAN SUDHA Yojana (One full Meal Scheme), daily counseling session is

organized for the pregnant and lactating mothers after serving the nutritious meal.

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