Lok Sabha Question No. 231 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-03
Subject: Anganwadi Centres in Telangana
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Bheemrao Baswanthrao Patil

## GOVERNEMNT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO 231 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.02.2023

## ANGANWADI CENTRES IN TELANGANA

231. SHRI B.B. PATIL :

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

- (a) the efforts being made to improve the condition of the Anganwadi Centres in Telangana;
- (b) the  steps  being  taken  by  the  Government  to  overcome  malnutrition  in  the country; and
- (c) the  steps  being  taken  to  ensure  complete  food  coverage  in  Anganwadi Centres for the boys/ girls and pregnant/lactating mothers?

## ANSWER

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

(a):        This  Ministry  has  taken  several  measures  under Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, (Mission Poshan 2.0) for improving infrastructure facilities at Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) in all the States/UTs including Telangana:

- Under Saksham Anganwadi, 2 lakh AWCs @ 40,000 AWCs per year shall be strengthened, upgraded and rejuvenated across the country for improved nutrition delivery  and  for  early  childhood  care  and  development.In  FY  2022-23,  40,000 Anganwadi Centres have been identified for upgradation;

-Under  Swachhta  Action  Plan,  provision  of  drinking water  facilities  and construction of toilets have been made.

-  Ministry  has  issued  directions  to  States/UTs  to  co-locate  those  Anganwadi Centres which are running on rent without sufficient infrastructure, with the nearby Primary Schools.

- States/UTs have also been advised to continue to tap funds for construction of AWC  buildings  from  various  schemes  such  as  MPLADs,  MLALADS,  BRGF (Backward Regions Grant Fund), RIDF (Rural Infrastructure Development Fund), Finance  Commission  Grants  to  Panchayati  Raj  Institutions,  National  Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), Multi-Sectoral Development Programme (MSDP) of Ministry of Minority Affairs, etc.

- Under ther Scheme Guidelines of Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0,  States at their level in their own discretion shall involve Individuals, Companies, Business Houses and Institutions of repute and CSR funds for construction of AWCs purely on pro bono basis without any obligation. Similarly, the District Magistrates shall encourage/mobilize resources for this purely on pro bono basis and without any obligation.

In so far as Telangana is concerned, a total of 500 Anganwadi Centres have been identified in 3 Aspirational Districts out of 40,000 AWCs identified by the Ministry for upgradation of AWCs to Saksham Anganwadi Centres in the current year and  a sum of Rs.221.91 lakhs have been released by the Ministry for the Financial Year 2022-23 to the State Government of Telangana.

(b)        To address the challenge of malnutrition in women and children arising due to deficiency of micro nutrients like Iron, Folic Acid and Vitamin B-12, under Wheat Based Nutrition Programme (WBNP) of Anganwadi Services, Fortified Rice was allocated to 21 States/UTs during the 2nd quarter of FY 2021-22. From the 3rd quarter of FY 202122 onwards, only Fortified Rice is being allocated to all State/UTs, as envisaged in Hon'ble Prime Minister's Address on 75th Independence Day. So far, under WBNP, this Ministry has allocated 731962 MTs of Fortified Rice in FY 2021-22 and 1226115 MTs of Fortified rice up to fourth quarter of FY 2022-23 to all States/UTs.

Further, more emphasis is being given on the supply of millets for preparation of Hot Cooked Meal (HCM) and Take Home Rations (THR - not raw ration)  at Anganwadis for Pregnant Women, Lactating Mothers and Children below 6 years of age,  as millets are known to have high nutrient content which includes protein, essential fatty acid, dietary  fibre,  B-Vitamins,  minerals  such  as  calcium,  iron,  zinc,  folic  acid  and  other micro-nutrients  thus  helping  to  tackle  anemia  and  other  micro-nutrient  deficiencies common among women and children. As per Mission Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0  guidelines,  millets  need  to  be  mandatorily  supplied  at  least  once  a  week  and suitably integrated in THR and HCM in a palatable form.

(c)         Supplementary  Nutrition,  one  of  the  six  components  under  Anganwadi Services, is provided to the beneficiaries of Anganwadi Services through the network of Anganwadi Centres located across the country.   Supplementary Nutrition under the Scheme shall be served for a  minimum of 300  days  in a  calendar  year  i.e  on  an average 25 days in a month with respect of Morning Snacks, Hot Cooked Meals and Take-Home Ration.

IT  systems  have  been  leveraged  to  strengthen  and  bring  about  transparency  in nutrition delivery support systems. The 'Poshan Tracker' application was rolled out by MoWCD on 1 st  March 2021 through National e-Governance Division (NeGD), MyGov as  an  important  governance  tool.  Technology  under Poshan  Tracker is  being leveraged  for  dynamic  identification  of  stunting,  wasting,  under-weight  prevalence among children;  and  last  mile  tracking  of  nutrition  service  delivery.  The  POSHAN Tracker  enables  near  real-time  monitoring  and  tracking  of  all  AWCs,  AWWs  and beneficiaries on defined indicators. Approx 88% of beneficiaries have been Aadhar seeded to ensure last mile tracking and delivery of services.

Further,  this  Ministry  has  also  vide  communication  dated  13.01.2021,  issued Streamlined Guidelines to all States/UTs on quality assurance, roles and responsibilities  of  Duty  Holders,  procedure  for  procurement,  integrating  AYUSH concepts  and  data  management  and  monitoring  through  `Poshan  Tracker'  for transparency, efficiency and accountability in delivery of Supplementary Nutrition.

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