Lok Sabha Question No. 610 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-02-04
Subject: Malnutrition
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: V. Kalanidhi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 610

TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.02.2022

## MALNUTRITION

## 610    DR. KALANIDHI VEERASWAMY:

Will the Minister of Women and Child Development be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the Government  has  any  data  of  children  with  severe  acute malnutrition within the country including Tamil Nadu;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  percentage  of  such  children  is  still  very  high  and  if  so,  the reasons therefor;
- (d) whether the Government is aware that despite various Government programmes on malnutrition, country is missing its nutrition goals; and
- (e) if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  reasons  therefor  along  with  the  corrective measures taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) & (b)      The estimated number of severely wasted 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),  7.7% children  are  severely  wasted  whereas  the  state  of  Tamil  Nadu  reported  5.5% children as severely wasted.
- (c) & (d)      Malnutrition is a multi- faceted problem. The important determinants are inadequate  food,   low  purchasing  power,   female  illiteracy,  high  rate  of  population growth  and  low  access  of  population  to  health  education,  safe  drinking  water, environmental,  sanitation,  hygiene  and  other  social  services.  Key  reasons  for malnutrition  setting  in  early  life  are  early  marriage;  teenage  pregnancy;  low  birth weight of child; faulty and sub-optimal infant and young child feeding practices; and childhood illnesses. The nutritional status of the population is outcome of complex and inter-related set of factors.
- (e)      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.  Children  with Severe  Acute  Malnutrition are treated at the Nutrition Rehabilitation  Centres established by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

In  order  to  address  the  challenges  of  malnutrition, Government  has  taken steps  to  improve  nutritional  quality  and  testing,  strengthen  delivery  and  leverage technology  under  Poshan Tracker  to  improve  governance.  Streamlined  Guidelines were  issued  on  Quality  Assurance,  Roles  and  Responsibilities  of  Duty  Holders, procedure for procurement, integrating AYUSH concepts and Data Management and Monitoring for transparency, efficiency and accountability in delivery of Supplementary  Nutrition  on  13.01.2021.  Government  has  advised  States/UTs  to launch a drive for identification of SAM children for referral to hospitals (if required) and  AYUSH centres  in  accordance  with  the  detailed  action  plan  approved  by  the District  Nutrition  Committee  to  be  finalized  in  consultation  with  the  Chief  Medical Officer.

Further, Mission Poshan 2.0, an integrated nutrition support programme has been  announced  in  budget  2021-2022  for  all  States/UTs.  It  seeks  to  strengthen nutritional  content,  delivery,  outreach  and  outcomes  with  focus  on  developing practices that nurture health, wellness and immunity to disease and malnutrition.

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