Lok Sabha Question No. 610 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-09
Subject: Undernourished Children
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Badruddin Ajmal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 610

TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.12.2022

## UNDERNOURISHED CHILDREN

## 610.   SHRI M. BADRUDDIN AJMAL:

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

- (a) whether  the  continuous  price  rise  of  food  items  is  causing  millions  of  more children to be undernourished in the country;
- (b) if so, the reaction of the Government thereto and remedial measures taken in this regard during last five years and the current year;
- (c) whether  the  Ministry  has  taken  note  of  plight  of  undernourished  children  and formulated any plan to curb their problem in consultation with other concerned Ministries and departments during last five years including the current year; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (b) Malnutrition is a complex issue and affordability of food is only one of its many causes. The issue of food security at the household level has been addressed by Government   by  ensuring  access  to  adequate  quantity  of  quality  food  grains  at subsidized  rates.  Government  has  provided  for  supply  of  fortified  rice  throughout  the Targeted  Public  Distribution  System  (TPDS),  Anganwadi  Services  Scheme  (AWS), Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman-PM POSHAN [erstwhile Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDM)]  and  Other  Welfare  Scheme  of  Government  of  India  in  all  States  and  Union Territories (UTs). Further, during the COVID Pandemic, and even thereafter free ration is  being  provided  to  80  crore  people  under  the  Pradhan  Mantri  Garib  Kalyan  Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) which has been extended till December 2022. The total expenditure on PMGKAY is estimated to be Rs 3.91 Lakh Crores.

(c) to (d) Government has accorded high priority to the issue of malnutrition and is making serious efforts to address this issue. POSHAN Abhiyaan, a flagship scheme of the  Government  was  launched  in  2018  to  address  the  challenges  of  malnutrition  by adopting  a  synergised  and  result  oriented  approach.  POSHAN  Abhiyaan  provides  a platform to converge the activities of various stakeholders towards attaining the goal of 'Suposhit  Bharat'.  Convergent  interventions  with  various  Ministries/Departments  have been mapped. To ensure effective convergence at State level, the State Chief Secretary is required to chair the Convergence Action Plan (CAP) meeting with line Departments. The District Nutrition Committee chaired by District Magistrates/Deputy Commissioners is  responsible  for  the  nutrition  outcomes  in  the  district  and  activities  under  the programme are monitored through  team of field officers.

Further,  to  address  various  policy  and  systemic  needs,  the  Integrated  Child Development Scheme and Anganwadi Services schemes were re-evaluated in respect of  programme  design,  implementation  process,  outcome  and  impact  and  for  reassessing the relevance of the programme in achieving its aims and goals. The efforts under the Supplementary Nutrition Programme under Anganwadi Services, Scheme for Adolescent Girls and POSHAN Abhiyaan have therefore been re-aligned as 'Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0' for maximizing nutritional outcomes. 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 rests on the pillars of Convergence, Governance, and Capacity-building. POSHAN Abhiyaan 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.

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