Lok Sabha Question No. 851 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-02-07
Subject: Initiatives for the Welfare of Women and Children
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri Dharambir Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.851

TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.02.2025

## INITIATIVES FOR THE WELFARE OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN

851.   SHRI DHARAMBIR SINGH:

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

- (a) the current status of malnutrition and anemia among women and children in India along with the steps being taken to address these issues effectively;
- (b) whether  any  measures  are  being  implemented  to  ensure  the  safety  and empowerment of women especially in rural and underserved areas and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  introduced  any  new  schemes  or  programmes  to promote the education and skill development of girls to enhance their participation in the workforce and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) the details of the steps being taken to prevent child labour and ensure access to education and healthcare for all children; and
- (e) whether  the  Ministry  is  collaborating  with  State  Governments  and  NGOs  to implement  innovative  approaches  for  the  holistic  development  of  women  and children and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR)

- (a)  Various  steps  have  been  taken  by  the  Government  to  address  the  issues  of malnutrition and anemia among women and children in India, details of which are as under:
- (i) Under Mission Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0 , a new strategy has been made for reduction  in  malnutrition  and  for  improved  health,  wellness  and  immunity  through activities  like  community  engagement,  outreach,  behavioral  change,  and  advocacy.  It focuses  on  Maternal  Nutrition,  Infant  and  Young  Child  Feeding  Norms,  treatment  of Severe  Acute  Malnutrition  (SAM)/  Moderate  Acute  Malnutrition  (MAM)  and  wellness through AYUSH practices to reduce prevalence of wasting, stunting, anaemia and being underweight.

Under this scheme, Supplementary Nutrition is provided to Children (6 months to 6 years), Pregnant Women, Lactating Mothers and Adolescent Girls to beat the intergenerational cycle  of  malnutrition  by  adopting  a  life  cycle  approach.  Supplementary  nutrition  is provided in accordance with the nutrition norms contained in Schedule-II of the National Food Security Act. These norms have been revised and upgraded last year. The old norms were largely calorie-specific; however, the revised norms are more comprehensive and balanced in terms of both quantity and quality of supplementary nutrition based on the principles of diet diversity that provides quality protein, healthy fats and micronutrients.

(ii)  Fortified rice is being supplied to AWCs to meet the requirement of micro-nutrients and to control anaemia among women and children. Greater emphasis is being laid on the use of millets for preparation of Hot Cooked Meal at least once a week and Take Home ration at Anganwadi centers.

(iii) Ministries of Women & Child Development and Health & Family Welfare have jointly released the protocol for Community Management of Malnutrition (CMAM) to prevent and treat severely acute malnutrition in children and for reducing associated morbidity and mortality.

(iv) Under this Mission, one of the major activities undertaken is Community Mobilization and Awareness Advocacy leading to a Jan Andolan to educate people on nutritional aspects. State and UTs are conducting and reporting regular sensitisation activities under community  engagement  programmes  during  Poshan  Maahs  and  Poshan  Pakhwadas celebrated in the months of September and March-April respectively. Community Based Events (CBEs) have served as a significant strategy in changing nutritional practices and all  Anganwadi  workers  are  required  to  conduct  two  Community  Based  Events  every month.

The malnutrition indicators for children under 5 years as per the data of Poshan Tracker for  the  month  of  December  2024  are:  Stunting  as  39.68%,  Wasting  as  5.5%  and Underweight as 17.22%.

(v)  The  Government  of  India  implements  Anaemia  Mukt  Bharat  (AMB)  programme  in 6X6X6 strategy to reduce the prevalence of anaemia among six beneficiary groups  Children  6-59  months,  Children  5-9  years,  Adolescents  (10-19  years),  Women  of reproductive  age  (15-49  years),  pregnant  women  and  lactating  mothers  in  lifecycle approach through six interventions - Prophylactic Iron and Folic Acid supplementation (IFA Syrup is provided biweekly to children 6-59 months, IFA Pink is provided weekly to children 5-9 years, IFA Blue is provided weekly to adolescents (10-19 years), IFA Red is provided weekly to Women of Reproductive age group and IFA Red tablets (daily for 180 days) are provided to pregnant women and lactating mothers), Deworming, Intensified year-round behaviour change communication campaign, Testing of anaemia using digital invasive haemoglobinometer and point of care treatment, Mandatory provision of iron and folic acid fortified foods in public health programmes, addressing non-nutritional causes of anaemia in endemic pockets, with special focus on malaria, haemoglobinopathies and fluorosis, via robust institutional mechanism.

Details  of  women  suffering  from  anaemia  are  released  under  National  Family  Health Survey (NFHS), which is conducted by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. As per National Family Health Survey 5 (2019-21), the prevalence of anaemia among all women aged 15-49 years is 57 percent in the country.

(b) to (e) The Government gives utmost priority to the safety, security and empowerment of  women  in  the  country.  To  this  end,  the  Government  has  adopted  multi-pronged approach  to  address  the  needs  of  women  on  a  life-cycle  continuum  basis  for  their educational,  social,  economic  and  political  empowerment  so  that  they  become  equal partners  in  fast  paced  and  sustainable  national  development.  This  'Women  led development' is essential for realising the goal of a developed India, or 'Viksit Bharat', by 2047.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development releases funds directly to States/UTs under  its  various  schemes.  It  does  not  release  any  funds  to  Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). The Ministry is implementing Centrally Sponsored Schemes in the country for the welfare and holistic development of women and children, which are clubbed into three verticals, viz. (1) Mission Shakti, for safety, protection  and empowerment of women; (2) Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0 for improving nutrition & health indicators in the country; and (3) Mission Vatsalya, for protection and welfare of children.  The  details  of  the  schemes  for  welfare  and  empowerment  of  women  under Mission Shakti are as under:

Mission Shakti: It aims at strengthening interventions for women safety, security and empowerment.  It  seeks  to  focus  on  proposing  strategies  for  improving  convergence across  Ministries/  Departments  and  at  different  levels  of  governance.  Mission  Shakti comprises  of  two  sub-schemes  'Sambal'  and  'Samarthya'  for  safety  and  security  of women and empowerment of women respectively.

The 'Sambal' sub-scheme is for safety and security of women. It has the components of One Stop Centres (OSCs), Women Helpline (WHL), Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) and Nari Adalat.

- a. One Stop Centres (OSCs)An institution located at district level offering under one roof immediate help to women in distress such as temporary shelter, medical & police assistance, counselling and legal support.
- b. Women Helpline (WHL)The Women Helpline 181 provides toll-free 24hours telecom service to women seeking support and information. It is also integrated with Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) 112 for all emergency  services  and  integration  with  all  One  Stop  Centres  is  in progress.
- c. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP)BBBP is a mindset change program helping  in  generating  awareness  for  valuing  the  girl  child  through  multisectoral interventions.
- d. Nari AdalatAn experimental platform providing women with an alternative Grievance Redressal Mechanism at Gram Panchayat level by negotiation, mediation, and reconciliation with mutual consent for speedy, accessible, and affordable justice. It has been piloted in 50 Gram Panchayats each of Assam and UT of Jammu & Kashmir.

The 'Samarthya' sub scheme is for empowerment of women. It has the components of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), Shakti Sadan, Sakhi Niwas, Palna and SANKALP: Hub for Empowerment of Women (HEW).

- a. Pradhan  Mantri  Matru  Vandana  Yojana  (PMMVY)PMMVY  is  a  Centrally Sponsored Maternity Benefits Scheme under which cash incentives of ₹5,000/- is provided directly to the Bank/Post Office account of the beneficiary in Direct Benefit

Transfer (DBT) mode for first child. Cash incentive of ₹6,000/- is also provided under PMMVY to eligible beneficiaries for second child being a girl child.

- b. Shakti SadanShakti Sadan is an Integrated Relief and Rehabilitation Home for the women in distress situations and difficult circumstances.
- c. Sakhi NiwasThe Sakhi Niwas Scheme (Working Women Hostel) is a demand driven centrally sponsored scheme, under which funds are released directly to the States/UTs  and  aims  to  promote  availability  of  safe  and  conveniently  located accommodation for working women in urban, semi-urban and even rural areas where employment opportunity for women exist.
- d. PalnaPalna scheme through day-care créche facilities provides safe and secure place for the children. Creche services formalise the child care facilities hitherto considered  as  part  of  domestic  work  and  uses  Aanganwadi  infrastructure  for ensuring delivery of care facilities till the last mile
- e. SANKALP: Hub for Empowerment of Women (HEW)The SANKALP: HEW serves  as  a  vehicle  to  bridge  the  information  and  knowledge  gap  regarding schemes and facilities available for women. It also serves as a Project Monitoring Unit (PMU) for all components under Mission Shakti.

The Government has taken various measures and have made efforts to prevent child labour which include legislative measures, rehabilitation strategy, providing right to free education and general socio-economic development. The Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition  &  Regulation)  Act,  1986  administered  by  the  Ministry  of  Labour  and Employment, inter-alia covers complete prohibition of work or employment of children below 14 years of age in any occupation or process and prohibition of adolescents in the age group of 14 to 18 years in hazardous occupations and processes. It also provides for stricter  punishment  for  employers  for  violation  of  the  Act  and  made  the  offence  as cognizable.

As per Section 2(14)(ii) and (ix) of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (JJ Act) (as amended in 2021), a child who is found working in contravention of labour laws for the time being in force or is found begging, or living on the street and who is found vulnerable and is likely to be inducted into drug abuse or trafficking is included as a 'child in need of care and protection', among others.

The  JJ  Act,  2015  mandates  a  security  net  of  service  delivery  structures  to  provide Institutional  and  non-Institutional  care  to  these  children.  The  primary  responsibility  of execution  of  the  Act,  as  such,  lies  with  the  State/UTs.  Ministry  of  Women  and  Child Development is implementing Mission Vatsalya Scheme for care, protection, rehabilitation  and  reintegration  of  children  in  difficult  circumstances.  Under  Mission Vatsalya, financial assistance is provided to State Governments/UT Administrations, for, inter-alia,  undertaking  a  situational  analysis  of  children  in  difficult  circumstances,  for setting up and maintenance of various types of Child Care Institutions (CCIs) for providing various rehabilitative services through institutional and non-institutional care.

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