Lok Sabha Question No. 1812 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-02-11
Subject: Malnutrition in Women
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Sanjay Bhatia

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1812

TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.02.2022

## 'MALNUTRITION IN WOMEN'

## 1812    SHRI SANJAY BHATIA;

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

- (a)      whether one out of five women of the reproductive age are thin and whose Body Mass  Index  (BMI)  is  lesser  than  18.5  kg  per  square  metre  which  leads  to  an inter-generation cycle of malnutrition;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  said  ratio  is  more  in  rural  areas  in  comparison  to  urban  areas  at present as one fourth of women get married before attaining the age of 18 years and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether inadequate nutrition before conceiving and during the first trimester of pregnancy is significantly  responsible for  stunting  of  the  embryo  and  if  so,  the details thereof; and
- (e) whether  the  Government  has  taken  steps  or  formulated  any  new  scheme  to eliminate malnutrition in women and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (e)      Women are at greater risk of malnutrition due to the increased nutritional needs associated with menstruation, pregnancy, and lactation. Women are also more exposed  to  risk  factors  for  malnutrition  such  as  HIV/AIDS,  food  insecurity  and poverty.   The  determinants  of  malnutrition  are  often  intrinsically  related  to  gender dynamics in households and communities.

As per the results of the recently released fifth round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) conducted in 2019-21, the percentage of women (age 15-49 years) whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is below normal (BMI <18.5 kg/m2) in the country is 18.7 percent. The said prevalence for rural and urban areas are 21.2 and 13.2 percentages respectively.

The Government has accorded high priority to the issue of malnutrition and is making  serious  efforts  to  address  this  issue.  Government  implements  Anganwadi Services  Scheme,  POSHAN  Abhiyaan,  Pradhan  Mantri  Matru  Vandana  Yojana  and Scheme  for  Adolescent  Girls  under  the  Umbrella  Integrated  Child  Development

Services Scheme (ICDS) as targeted interventions for Children, Pregnant Women and Lactating  Mothers  and  Adolescent  Girls,  throughout  the  country.  POSHAN  Abhiyaan aims  to  reduce  malnutrition  in  a  phased  manner,  through  a  life  cycle  approach,  by adopting a synergised and result oriented approach. All these schemes address in one or  other  aspects  related  to  nutrition  and  have  the  potential  to  improve  nutritional outcomes in the country.

For alleviation of malnutrition, Government has announced Mission Poshan 2.0 to  strengthen  nutritional  content,  delivery,  outreach  and  outcomes  with  focus  on developing  practices  that  nurture  health,  wellness  and  immunity  to  disease  and malnutrition. For greater transparency, accountability and quality in nutrition support programme  and  service  delivery,  streamlined  guidelines  dated  13.1.2021  have  been issued to States/UTs. These  guidelines  emphasize  on ensuring the quality of supplementary nutrition, highlights roles and responsibilities of duty holders, IT enabled data management and monitoring, leveraging of traditional knowledge through AYUSH, procurement and convergence for achieving good nutritional outcomes.

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