Lok Sabha Question No. 1851 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-06
Subject: Prevention of Nutrition related Diseases
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Manish Jaiswal

## GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1851 TO BE ANSWERED ON 6 TH DECEMBER 2024

## PREVENTION OF NUTRITION RELATED DISEASES

## 1851. SHRI MANISH JAISWAL:

## Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

(a) the steps have been taken by the Government to prevent diseases like calorie deficiency, protein malnutrition and under nutrition in rural areas in the country;

(b) the steps taken by the Government to create awareness regarding impacted ill health on education; and

(c) the details of investments in all dimensions of the health system in this regard?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SMT. ANUPRIYAPATEL)

(a) and (b) The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is implementing Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) strategy in a life cycle approach under National Health Mission (NHM), which includes interventions to increase awareness and address undernutrition including calorie deficiency and protein malnutrition across the country, including rural areas as placed below:

-  Nutrition Rehabilitation Centers (NRCs) are set up at public health facilities to provide in-patient medical and nutritional care to children under 5 years suffering from Severe Acute Malnourishment (SAM) with medical complications. In addition to curative care, special focus is given on timely, adequate and appropriate feeding for children; on improving the skills of mothers and caregivers on complete age-appropriate caring and feeding practices.
-  Mothers' Absolute Affection (MAA) Programme is implemented to improve breastfeeding coverage which includes early initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding for first six months followed by counselling on age-appropriate complementary feeding practices.
-  Lactation Management Centres : Comprehensive Lactation Management Centres. (CLMC) are facilities established to ensure availability of safe, pasteurized Donor Human Milk for feeding of sick, preterm and low birth weight babies admitted in Neonatal Intensive Care Units and Special Newborn Care Units. Lactation Management Unit

(LMU) are established for providing lactation support to mothers within the health facility for collection, storage and dispensing of mother's own breastmilk for consumption by her baby.

-  Anemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) strategy is implemented to reduce anemia among six beneficiaries age group - children (6-59 months), children (5-9 years), adolescents (10-19 years), pregnant and lactating women and in women of reproductive age group (15-49 years) in life cycle approach through implementation of six interventions via robust institutional mechanism.
-  Under National Deworming Day (NDD) albendazole tablets are administered in a single fixed day approach via schools and Anganwadi centres in two rounds (February and August) to reduce the soil transmitted helminth (STH) infestation among all children and adolescents (1-19 years).
-  Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Days (VHSNDs) are observed for provision of maternal and child health services and creating awareness on maternal and child care including nutrition in convergence with Ministry of Women and Child Development.
-  Community Based care of New-born and Young Children: Under Home Based Newborn Care (HBNC) and Home-Based Care of Young Children (HBYC) program, home visits are performed by ASHAs to improve child rearing practices and to identify sick new-born and young children in the community.
-  Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK): Children from 0 to 18 years of age are screened for 32 health conditions (i.e. Diseases, Deficiencies, Defects and Developmental delay) to improve child survival.

Other interventions by Government include National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013, which provides highly subsidized food grains under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) for coverage up to 75% of the rural population and up to 50% of the urban population and under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), free food grains are provided to beneficiaries of Antyodaya Anna Yojana households and Priority Households, for a period of five years with effect from 1 st January 2024.

Under Mission Poshan 2.0 the Government 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. Supplementary Nutrition is provided to children age 6 months to 6 years, pregnant women, lactating mothers and adolescent girls at Anganwadi centres as per nutrition norms, based on principles of diet diversity that provides quality protein, healthy fats and micronutrients. 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.

Community mobilization and awareness advocacy through Jan Andolan is carried out to educate people on nutrition aspects during Poshan Maah , Poshan Pakhwadas and CommunityBased Events (CBEs).

The Pradhan Mantri POshan SHAkti Nirman Yojana (PM POSHAN) under Ministry of Education, provides one hot cooked meal in Government and Government-aided schools as per nutrition norms to school going children from Balvatikas (pre-school) to Class VIII.

(c) The Government provides support through the National Health Mission based on the proposals received from the States/UTs in their Annual Programme Implementation Plans. As shared by NHM Finance, for the FY 2023-24, the funds allocated to 36 States/UTs for nutrition programmes were Rs 1508 crores.

Regular National / Regional/ State level reviews, along with supportive supervision visits and Common Review Mission of the States/UTs are undertaken to support and strengthen the interventions across States/UTs. Field level workers as AWW, ANMs, CHOs and ASHAs promote awareness on undernutrition, it's management and healthy diets.