Lok Sabha Question No. 2061 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-02
Subject: Malnutrition in Odisha
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri Sukanta Kumar Panigrahi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2061 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.08.2024

## MALNUTRITION IN ODISHA

2061.   SHRI SUKANTA KUMAR PANIGRAHI:

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

- (a) The estimated number of children and women impacted by malnutrition in Odisha;
- (b) The details of the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to prevent malnutrition across the country especially in the State of Odisha; and
- (c) Whether the women and children affected by malnutrition are receiving nutritious food, if so, the details of the beneficiaries in the said State including Kandhamahal Parliamentary Lok Sabha Constituency?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI ANNPURNA DEVI)

(a) Under 15th Finance Commission, Anganwadi services, Poshan Abhiyaan and Scheme for  Adolescent  girls  (14-18  years  in  Aspirational  Districts  and  North-East region) were subsumed under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan  2.0).  It  is  a  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme,  where  the  responsibility  of implementation of scheme is with the States. The scheme is being implemented in all districts of Odisha.

Various rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted since 199293 have shown improvement in malnutrition indicators in children. Details of these indicators for children under 5 years since NFHS-1 to NFHS-5 are given below:

| NFHS Survey          |   Underweight% |   Wasting% |   Stunting% |
|----------------------|----------------|------------|-------------|
| NFHS-1 (1992-93)*    |           53.4 |       17.5 |        52   |
| NFHS-2 (1998-99)**   |           47   |       15.5 |        45.5 |
| NFHS-3 (2005-6) ***  |           42.5 |       19.8 |        48   |
| NFHS-4 (2015-16) *** |           35.8 |       21   |        38.4 |
| NFHS-5 (2019-21) *** |           32.1 |       19.3 |        35.5 |

The above table gives a representative picture of malnutrition indicators among children of 0-3 years, 0-4 years and 0-5 years age at that time. The table shows that level of malnutrition among children has been coming down steadily during the last 30 years.

The projected population of children up to 5 years for the year 2021 is 13.75 crore (source: Population Projections for India and States 2011-2036, National Commission on Population, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare). However, only 7.65 crore children up to 5 years are enrolled in Anganwadis and registered on Poshan Tracker of the Ministry of Women & Child Development.  As per June 2024 data of Poshan Tracker 7.37 Crore of these children were measured on growth parameters.  36.5%  of  these  children  have  been  found  to  be  stunted,  16.4% children have been found to be underweight and 6% children have been found to be wasted.

Further, the projected population of children up to 6 years for the year 2021 is 16.1 crore.  As  per  June  2024 data  of  Poshan Tracker, only 8.91 crore children (0-6 years) are enrolled in Anganwadis out of whom 8.57 crore children were measured on growth parameters. 35.6% of these children (0-6 years) have been found to be stunted and 17.2% children (0-6 years) have been found to be underweight.

As per the report of NFHS-5 (2019-21), the nutrition indicators for children under 5  years  have  improved  as  compared  with  NFHS-4  (2015-16)  in  the  State  of Odisha. Stunting has reduced from 34.1% to 31%, while Wasting has reduced from 20.4% to 18.1% and Underweight prevalence has reduced from 34.4% to 29.7%.

Moreover, as per the data of Poshan Tracker for the month of June 2024 for the State of Odisha, around 34.68 lakh children under 6 years were measured, out of whom 22% were found to be stunted and 12% were found to be underweight and  3%  children  under  5  years  were  found  to  be  wasted.  The  levels  of underweight and wasting in children as obtained from Poshan Tracker are much less than those projected by NFHS 5.

(b)  and  (c)  Mission  Poshan  2.0  is a  universal  self-selecting  (no  entry  barriers) scheme available to all the beneficiaries who enrol at the AWCs and is being implemented in all States/UTs across the country including the State of Odisha. Under the scheme, a strategic shift has been made for reduction in malnutrition and for improved health, wellness and immunity through community engagement, outreach, behavioral change, and advocacy. The scheme 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  wasting,  underweight  prevalence,  stunting  and anaemia.

Under this scheme, Supplementary Nutrition is provided in accordance with the nutrition  norms  contained  in  Schedule-II  of  the  National  Food  Security  Act.  To address the challenge of malnutrition more effectively, these nutrition norms have been revised. 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.

Fortified rice is being supplied to AWCs to meet the requirement of micro-nutrients and control anaemia among women and children. Greater emphasis is being given on the use of millets for preparation of Hot Cooked Meal at least once a week and Take Home ration (THR - not raw ration) at Anganwadi centers for beneficiaries.

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  in  children  and  for  reducing associated morbidity and mortality.

Under Mission Poshan 2.0, one of the major activities undertaken is Community Mobilization  and  Awareness  Advocacy  leading  to  Jan  Andolan  to  educate  the 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 nutrition practices and all Anganwadi workers are required to conduct two Community Based Events every month.

The details of beneficiaries in the State of Odisha and in the Districs that fall under Kandhamahal  Parliamentary  Lok  Sabha  Constituency  (Kandhamal,  Boudh, Nayagarh and Ganjam) are as follows:

| Particulars               | Particulars                                                                 | Odisha    | Data of Districs that fall under Kandhamahal Constituency (Kandhamal, Boudh, Nayagarh and Ganjam)   |
|---------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Registered beneficiaries* | Registered beneficiaries*                                                   |           |                                                                                                     |
| i.                        | Pregnant Women                                                              | 3,03,509  | 44,450                                                                                              |
| ii.                       | Lactating mothers                                                           | 1,91,960  | 27,516                                                                                              |
| iii.                      | Children (0 - 6 months)                                                     | 1,77,120  | 23,117                                                                                              |
| iv.                       | Children (6m - 3 years)                                                     | 15,15,110 | 2,21,323                                                                                            |
| v.                        | Children (3 - 6 years)                                                      | 17,86,935 | 2,47,426                                                                                            |
| vi.                       | Adolescent girls (14 - 18 years) in the Aspirational districts of the State | 2,72,062  | 16,662                                                                                              |

* As per data available for the month of June 2024 on Poshan Tracker

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