Lok Sabha Question No. 3376 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-05
Subject: Nutrition Policy
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: S. Ramalingam

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3376

TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.08.2022

## NUTRITION POLICY

## 3376. SHRI RAMALINGAM S.:

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

- (a) whether  the  Union  Government  intends  to  formulate  the  exclusive  nutritional policy, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the details of the financial allocation and utilization under POSHAN 2.0 Scheme;
- (c) the  details  regarding  development  of  nutritional  gardens  under  Poshan  Vatika Scheme; and
- (d) the performance details about the Anaemia Mukt Bharat Scheme and other steps taken to reduce the growing prevalence of anaemia among children and women in the country?

## ANSWER

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

(a) & (b)  Government has re-evaluated the ICDS and Anganwadi Services schemes in respect  of  programme  design,  implementation  process,  outcomes  and  impact  to address  the  challenges  in  the  extant  nutrition  policy.  A  strategic  shift  has  been undertaken for the first time under 'Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0' which is an Integrated Nutrition Support Programme for improving nutritional norms and standards, quality and testing of Supplementary Nutrition, promoting greater stakeholder participation, re-enforcing practices that nurture health, wellness and immunity around traditional community food habits and by improving digital infrastructure support for lastmile tracking and monitoring of nutrition delivery.

Under the Mission Poshan 2.0, strategies will aim at quality and testing of Supplementary Nutrition, food fortification, leveraging traditional systems of knowledge, diet  diversity  and  popularizing  use  of  millets. Nutrition  awareness  strategies will  focus on developing sustainable health and well-being through regional meal plans to bridge dietary  gaps. Communication  strategies will  focus  on  community-based  events  to address the challenges of malnutrition and build local participation and accountability. Local vegetables and fruits grown in Poshan Vatikas shall be used for consumption by beneficiaries, for preparing traditional recipes and for motivating the local community for diet diversity.

For  the  year  2022-23,  an  allocation  of  Rs.  20263.07  crore  has  been  made  under Mission Poshan 2.0.

(c)           Under  Poshan  Abhiyan,  Poshan  Vatikas  or  Nutri-gardens  are  being  set  up across  the  country  to  provide  easy  and  affordable  access  to  local  fruits,  vegetables, medicinal  plants  and  herbs.  Thus,  Poshan  Vatikas  can  play  an  important  role  in enhancing  dietary  diversity  by  providing  micronutrients  through  ready  supply  of  local produce to women and children.  Till date, more than 4 lakh Poshan Vatikas have been developed and 1.10 lakh medicinal saplings have been planted across the country.

(d)         Government of India launched the Anemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) strategy under the  Ministry  of  Health  and  Family  Welfare  to  reduce  anemia  in  women,  children  and adolescents in life cycle approach. 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.

The measures taken by the Government to make AMB programme more effective are:

(i) working with other line departments and ministries for strengthening implementation (ii) engaging National Centre of Excellence and Advanced Research on Anemia Control (NCEARA)  at AIIMS, Delhi in capacity building of health care providers (iii) strengthening supply chain and logistics (iv) development of AMB Training Toolkit for capacity building of health care providers in anemia management and recent launch of Anemia  Mukt  Bharat  e-Training  Modules  to  facilitate  training  of  the  health  care providers through virtual platform

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,  convergence  and  coordination  with  line departments and ministries for  strengthening implementation etc

*********