Lok Sabha Question No. 2101 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-15
Subject: Schemes/Programmes for Malnourished and Underweight Children
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Ramdas Chandrabhanji Tadas

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2101 TO BE ANSWERED ON 15.12.2023

## SCHEMES/PROGRAMMES FOR MALNOURISHED AND UNDERWEIGHT CHILDREN

## 2101. SHRI RAMDAS C. TADAS

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

- (a) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  take  care  of  malnourished  and underweight children and provide nutritious food to them;
- (b) the details of the schemes/programmes being implemented by the Government to overcome the aforesaid problems and the funds allocated/released/utilized along with the achievements made thereunder during each of the last three years and the current year, scheme-wise and State/UT-wise; and
- (c) the further measures taken/being taken by the Government to eradicate the problems  of  malnutrition  and  underweight  among  children  in  the  country including Maharashtra?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (c) The 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. In the 15th FC, components of nutritional  support  for  children  below  the  age  of  6  years,  pregnant women and lactating mother, Adolescent Girls (14 - 18 years); Early Childhood Care and  Education  [3-6  years];  Anganwadi  infrastructure  including  modern,  upgraded Saksham Anganwadi,  POSHAN Abhiyaan and  Scheme  for  Adolescent  Girls  have been  reorganised  under  Mission  Saksham  Anganwadi  and  Poshan  2.0  (Mission Poshan 2.0). Mission Poshan 2.0 focuses on Maternal Nutrition, Infant and Young Child Feeding Norms, Treatment of MAM/SAM and Wellness through Ayush practices to reduce wasting and under-weight prevalence besides stunting and anaemia.

Under Mission Poshan 2.0, Supplementary nutrition is provided to beneficiaries 300 days in a year through the network of 13.97 lakh AWC located across the country for bridging the gap in the intake as compared to the recommended dietary intake. Only fortified rice is being supplied to AWCs to meet the requirement of micro nutrient and control anemia among women and children. Greater emphasis is being given on the use of millets for preparation of Hot Cooked Meal and Take Home rations (THR) (not  raw  food  material)  at  Anganwadi  centres  for  Children  below  6  years  of  age, Pregnant Women, Lactating Mothers.

The objectives of Poshan 2.0 are as follows:

- To contribute to human capital development of the country;
- Address challenges of malnutrition;
- Promote nutrition awareness and good eating habits for sustainable health and well-being; and
- Address nutrition related deficiencies through key strategies.

Steps have been taken to improve nutritional quality and testing in accredited labs, strengthen delivery and leverage technology under Poshan Tracker to improve governance. States/UTs have been advised to promote use of AYUSH systems for prevention of malnutrition and related diseases. A programme to support development of  Poshan  Vatikas  at  Anganwadi  Centres  to  meet  dietary  diversity  gap  leveraging traditional knowledge in nutritional practices has also been taken up.

The details of various schemes/programmes being implemented by Government along with achievements made are provided at Annexure - I.

The details of funds allocated/released/utilized by the Government to States/UTs during each of the last three years and the current year is at Annexure II.

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## ANNEXURE REFERRED IN REPLY TO PART (b) of LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2101 FOR 15.12.2023 REGARDING 'Schemes/Programmes for Malnourished and Underweight Children' ASKED BY SHRI Ramdas C. Tadas, MP

## Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0

- i. Government  is  focusing  on  incorporating  millets  in  the  Hot  Cooked  Meals (HCM) and Take Home Ration (THR) provided to pregnant women & lactating mothers (PW&LMs), and children below 6 years under SNP. In line with the United Nations General Assembly's resolution declaring 2023 as the 'International  Year  of  Millets',  government  took  initiative  to  encourage  the adoption  of  millets  across  the  country  through  Jan  Andolan.  In  Poshan Pakhwada  2023,  one  crore  activities  were  carried  out  for  popularization  of millets, health benefits of millets and their suitability for cultivation in challenging climates.
- ii. Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices also play an important role in the  nutritional  status  of  a  child.  Approximately  4.53  crore  activities  were reported focused on IYCF (Complementary Feeding & Breastfeeding Practices) during Jan Andolans organized by the Ministry in 2022 and 2023. Home visits done  by  the  AWWs  also  focus  on  counselling  of  Pregnant  and  Lactating mothers regarding Infant and Young Child feeding practices.
- iii. Around 90+ crore Jan Andolan based activities have been held. Moreover, the Poshan  Maah  conducted  during  the  month  of  September  2023  witnessed approximately 35 crore Jan Andolan based activities throughout the country. Around 3.70 crore Community Based Events (CBEs) have also been organized in a convergent manner at Anganwadi Centres.
- iv. To support WaSH practices and focus on accessibility of Drinking Water and Sanitation, through Mission Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0, the unit cost approved for Toilet has since been revised to Rs.36000 per AWC from Rs.12000. Cost for providing drinking water facilities has also been revised to Rs.17000 from Rs.10000.
- v. Government  issued  Streamlined  Guidelines  on  13  January  2021  for  all States/UTs  to  improve  nutritional  quality,  strengthen  delivery  and  leverage technology under Poshan Tracker to improve governance. Technology under Poshan  Tracker  is  being  leveraged  for  dynamic  identification  of  stunting, wasting, under-weight prevalence among children across the country.
- vi. A Web and App based 'Grievance Redressal Cell' has been established for effective service delivery and beneficiary feedback. Besides, a national Poshan Helpline has been made available for beneficiaries and the public. Through the Helpline a beneficiary can raise a concern about the services offered under Mission Poshan 2.0.
- vii. 95% of beneficiaries registered on the Poshan Tracker have been successfully Aadhar verified.
- viii. Migration facility for pregnant women and lactating mothers from one AWC to another  within  and  outside  a  State  has  been  facilitated  under  the  Poshan Tracker. Migration facility from one category to another category of beneficiary is also available. Integration of the Poshan Tracker with RCH portal of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has been made live.
- ix. 100% fortified rice allocated to States/UTs under the Supplementary Nutrition Programme in FY 2021-22.  7.31 lakh MTs allocated to States.
- x. For enhanced monitoring, Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) have been technology empowered with smartphones (nearly 11 lakh). 12.65 lakh Growth Measurement  Devices  have  been  procured  by  States/UTs  for  Anganwadi Centres to promote regular growth measurement. Additionally, to ensure last mile tracking and utilisation of services, 4.74 crore SMSs have been sent to beneficiaries (up to 14 th  November 2023) to alert them about their entitlements.
- xi. In addition, Ministry of Women & Child Development and Ministry of Health & Family  Welfare  jointly  released  the  protocol  for  Community  Management  of Malnutrition  (CMAM) to prevent and treat severe acute malnutrition children thereby  reducing  associated  morbidity  and  mortality.  The  community-based approach involves timely detection and screening of children with severe acute malnutrition in the community,  management  for  those  without medical complications with wholesome, local nutritious foods at home and supportive medical care. Those malnourished children which have medical complications are referred for facility-based care.
- xii. More than 6 lakh Poshan Vatikas have been developed and 1.10 lakh Medicinal Saplings have been planted across the country.
- xiii. The estimated number of underweight, malnourished and severely malnourished 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),  the  nutrition  indicators  for children under 5 years have improved as compared with NFHS-4 (2015-16). Stunting has reduced from 38.4% to 35.5%, Wasting has reduced from 21.0% to 19.3% and Underweight prevalence has reduced from 35.8% to 32.1%. As per the data of Poshan Tracker for the month of November 2023, around 7.44 crore children under 6 years were measured, out of whom 37.51% were found to be stunted and 17.43% were found to be underweight and 6% children under 5 years were found to be wasted. The levels of underweight and wasting are much less than that projected by NFHS 5.
- xiv. The beneficiaries registered under Poshan Tracker (Nov, 2023):

| Total         | Lactating   | Pregnant Women   | Children (0-6M)   | Children (6m-3y)   | Children (3y-6y)   |
|---------------|-------------|------------------|-------------------|--------------------|--------------------|
| Beneficiaries | Mothers     |                  |                   |                    |                    |
| 10,01,13,563  | 48,07,417   | 65,82,666        | 41,24,091         | 4,04,89,921        | 4,41,09,468        |

ANNEXURE REFERRED IN REPLY TO PART (b) of LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2101 FOR 15.12.2023 REGARDING 'Schemes/Programmes for Malnourished and Underweight Children' ASKED BY SHRI Ramdas C. Tadas, MP

State/UT wise and year wise details of funds released under Mission Poshan 2.0 for the period from FY 2020-21 to FY 2023-24 (till 30 November 2023)

(Rs. in lakh)

| #                                | State                            | 2020-21   |         2021-22 | 2022-23    |          2023-24 |
|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|-----------|-----------------|------------|------------------|
| 1ANDAMAN                         | & NICOBAR 1625.46                | 1971.15   |    431.68       |            |    666.99        |
| 2ANDHRA PRADESH                  | 2ANDHRA PRADESH                  | 70182.09  |  74460.4        | 79210.34   |  17072.3         |
| 3ARUNACHAL PRADESH               | 3ARUNACHAL PRADESH               | 8229.7    |  17082.8        | 12934.21   |   7930.17        |
| 4ASSAM                           | 4ASSAM                           | 110282.34 | 131990          | 161876.99  |  88639.4         |
| 5BIHAR                           | 5BIHAR                           | 128898    | 157443          | 167871.47  | 103695           |
| 6CHANDIGARH                      | 6CHANDIGARH                      | 1334.73   |   1532.18       | 3309.9     |    728.96        |
| 7CHHATTISGARH                    | 7CHHATTISGARH                    | 51394.84  |  60673.2        | 58909.3    |  28634.9         |
| 8D. & NAGAR HAVELI & DAMAN & DIU | 8D. & NAGAR HAVELI & DAMAN & DIU | 901.56    |    933.39       | 579.95     |    581.8         |
| 9DELHI                           | 9DELHI                           | 10270.15  |  13310.7        | 18277      |   8778.1         |
| 10GOA                            | 10GOA                            | 2044.28   |   1083.56       | 1452.6     |    619.23        |
| 11GUJARAT                        | 11GUJARAT                        | 62303.83  |  83985.6        | 90097.17   |  22446.9         |
| 12HARYANA                        | 12HARYANA                        | 18529.06  |  17303.3        | 19521.36   |  11054.9         |
| 13HIMACHAL PRADESH               | 13HIMACHAL PRADESH               | 25552.07  |  24798.7        | 26051.03   |  16138.7         |
| 14JAMMU & KASHMIR                | 14JAMMU & KASHMIR                | 29417.3   |  40573.7        | 47746.57   |  37408.4         |
| 15JHARKHAND                      | 15JHARKHAND                      | 45817.77  |  35297.8        | 35733.95   |  33329.6         |
| 16KARNATAKA                      | 16KARNATAKA                      | 69716.64  | 100370          | 75118.35   |  73657.1         |
| 17KERALA                         | 17KERALA                         | 34672.82  |  38822.7        | 44213.5    |  18371.4         |
| 18LADAKH                         | 18LADAKH                         | 2458.97   |   1469.55       | 1878.52    |   1008.78        |
| 19LAKSHADWEEP                    | 19LAKSHADWEEP                    | 304.44    |    210.52       | 44.18      |     75.19        |
| 20MADHYA PRADESH                 | 20MADHYA PRADESH                 | 123805.5  | 108547          | 98501.92   |  73862.9         |
| 21MAHARASHTRA                    | 21MAHARASHTRA                    | 120599.45 | 171339          | 163377.2   | 117209           |
| 22MANIPUR                        | 22MANIPUR                        | 17576.72  |  22892          | 11962.31   |  13218.3         |
| 23MEGHALAYA                      | 23MEGHALAYA                      | 17791.51  |  17332.8        | 19170.27   |  10937.9         |
| 24MIZORAM                        | 24MIZORAM                        | 7395.12   |   5931.57       | 4216.61    |   3552.39        |
| 25NAGALAND                       | 25NAGALAND                       | 16659.21  |  15980.3        | 19633.32   |  11178.4         |
| 26ODISHA                         | 26ODISHA                         | 84681.95  | 106598          | 87506.99   |  59405.1         |
| 27PUDUCHERRY                     | 27PUDUCHERRY                     | 438.08    |    277.8        | 0.75       |    408.72        |
| 28PUNJAB                         | 28PUNJAB                         | 17033.71  |  38351.7        | 7473.96    |  15055.3         |
| 29RAJASTHAN                      | 29RAJASTHAN                      | 63184.55  |  68264.6        | 95301.83   |  71209.8         |
| 30SIKKIM                         | 30SIKKIM                         | 2450.44   |   2573.06       | 1968.56    |     10.49        |
| 31TAMIL NADU                     | 31TAMIL NADU                     | 61072.42  |  65538.1        | 74844.97   |  43869.4         |
| 32TELANGANA                      | 32TELANGANA                      | 40531.92  |  48232.7        | 51474      |  11777.1         |
| 33TRIPURA                        | 33TRIPURA                        | 15415.55  |  18672.5        | 14746.76   |   9822.46        |
| 34UTTAR PRADESH                  | 34UTTAR PRADESH                  | 201749.31 | 240755          | 268122.42  | 145144           |
| 35UTTARAKHAND                    | 35UTTARAKHAND                    | 32791.63  |  35365.2        | 34877.55   |  15212.5         |
| 36WEST BENGAL                    | 1603661.78                       | 106548.66 |  66835.2        | 120031.77  |  63807.1         |
| Total                            |                                  |           |      1.8368e+06 | 1918469.26 |      1.13652e+06 |