Lok Sabha Question No. 4992 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-31
Subject: Happiness of Children
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Gajanan Chandrakant Kirtikar, Hemant Tukaram Godse, Kalaben Mohanbhai Delkar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4992

TO BE ANSWERED ON 31.03.2023

## HAPPINESS OF CHILDREN

4992.  SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR: SHRI HEMANT TUKARAM GODSE: SHRIMATI DELKAR KALABEN MOHANBHAI:

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

- (a) whether India is lagging behind the other countries in terms of upbringing and ensuring nutrition and happiness of children;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor, State-wise; and
- (c) the corrective measures being taken/proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (c)    Ministry of Women and Child Development strives to ensure well-nourished and happy children by providing them with a safe and secure environment which is accessible, affordable, reliable and free from all forms of discrimination. To achieve these objectives, Ministry has launched important Umbrella Missions encompassing various schemes for development and welfare of children in the country. While schemes for nutrition and care and development of children are implemented through Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0), schemes for the safety, security and development of children are implemented through Mission Vatsalya. The prime objective of these Missions is to promote inter-ministerial and inter- sectoral convergence to create gender equitable and child centred legislation, policies and programmes.

Mission  POSHAN  2.0 is  an  Integrated  Nutrition  Support  Programme.  The  Poshan Abhiyaan, Anganwadi Services Scheme and the Scheme for Adolescent Girls have been aligned under this Mission. It seeks to address the challenges of malnutrition in children (upto 6 years) besides adolescent girls (14-18 years), 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 seeks to optimize the quality and delivery of  food  under  the  Supplementary  Nutrition  Program.  The  Scheme is  designed  to address the issue of malnutrition through transparency, accountability, diet diversity and quality, food fortification, greater grassroots involvement and last-mile delivery of services supported by key strategies. Under Poshan 2.0, focus is also on leveraging traditional systems of knowledge and popularizing use of millets.

One of the key components of Poshan 2.0 is Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE).  The  Ministry  had  set  up  an  ECCE  task  force  to  devise  age  appropriate teaching-learning programmes for mental and intellectual stimulation and growth of children  in  the  Anganwadi  Centres.  Besides,  under  the  Mission,  2  lakh  selected Government-  owned  AWCs  @  40,000  AWCs  per  year  over  5  years  would  be strengthened, upgraded and rejuvenated for improved nutrition and ECCE delivery. In the  FY  2022-23,  40,000  Anganwadi  Centres  in  Aspirational  Districts  have  been identified to be made into Saksham Anganwadis with LED screens, Wi-fi availability, smart -visual and teaching aids, Poshan Vatikas etc.

Under POSHAN Abhiyaan, for the first time, Anganwadi workers have been provided smart phones and Anganwadi Centres have been equipped with Growth Monitoring Devices to promote regular growth monitoring of children. Under the Abhiyaan, IT systems have been leveraged to strengthen and bring about transparency in nutrition delivery support systems through the Poshan Tracker.

The objective of Mission Vatsalya is to secure a healthy and happy childhood for every child  in  India;  foster  a  sensitive,  supportive  and  synchronized  ecosystem  for development of children; provide support for delivering services for children in need and in difficult circumstances across the country; develop context-based solutions for holistic  development  of  children  from  varied  backgrounds; assist  States/UTs  in delivering the mandate of the Juvenile Justice Act 2015 and achieve the SDG goals.

Components  under  Mission  Vatsalya  include  statutory  bodies;  service  delivery structures; institutional care/services; non-institutional community based care; emergency outreach services; training and capacity building.

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