Lok Sabha Question No. 2056 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-06
Subject: Protocol for Identification and Management of Malnutrition
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Prof. Sougata Ray

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2056

TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.12.2024

## PROTOCOL FOR IDENTIFICATION AND MANAGEMENT OF MALNUTRITION

## 2056.  PROF. SOUGATA RAY:

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

- (a) whether the Government has any Protocol for Identification and Management of Malnutrition among children in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government is aware that over 32% of the children aged below five years are underweight;
- (d) if so, the details thereof, State-wise; and
- (e) the  details  of  the  steps  taken/proposed  to  be  taken  by  the  Government  to ensure the minimum wage and other parameters of children in the country?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (e) 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. 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  who  have  medical complications are referred for facility-based care.

Mission  Poshan  2.0  brings  a  new  strategy  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.

Various rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted by Ministry of Health  &  Family  Welfare  since  1992-93  have  shown  improvement  in  malnutrition indicators in children across India. Details of these indicators for children since NFHS1 to NFHS-5 are given below:

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

* Under 4 years

** Under 3 years

- *** Under 5 years

The above table gives a representative picture of malnutrition indicators among all children of 0-3 years, 0-4 years and 0-5 years age at the relevant time.

The projected population of all children up to 5 years in India for the year 2021 is 13.75 crores approximately (source: Population Projections for India and States 2011-2036,  National  Commission  on  Population,  Ministry  of  Health  &  Family Welfare).  However,  only  7.54  crores  children  up  to  5  years  are  enrolled  in Anganwadis and registered on Poshan Tracker of the Ministry of Women & Child Development as per the October 2024 data. 7.31 crores of these children were measured on growth parameters of height and weight. 38.9% of these children have been found to be stunted, 17% children have been found to be underweight and 5.2% wasted.

Further, the projected population of all children in India up to 6 years for the year 2021 is approximately 16.1 crores (source: Population Projections for India and States  2011-2036,  National  Commission  on  Population,  Ministry  of  Health  & Family Welfare). As per the October 2024 data of Poshan Tracker, 8.82 crores children (0-6 years) are enrolled in Anganwadis out of whom 8.55 crores were measured on growth parameters of height and weight. 37% of these children (06 years) have been found to be stunted and 17% children (0-6 years) have been found to be underweight.

The  analysis  of  the  above  NFHS  data  and  the  Poshan  Tracker  data  shows improvement in the underweight indicator in children across India.

State/UT wise details of malnourished children (0 - 5 years) as per Poshan Tracker are Annexed.

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## Annexure

## ANNEXURE REFERRED IN REPLY TO PART (d) OF LOK SABHA QUESTION NO. 2056 FOR 6.12.2024 REGARDING 'PROTOCOL FOR IDENTIFICATION AND MANAGEMENT OF MALNUTRITION' ASKED BY PROF. SOUGATA RAY

State wise details of malnourished children (0-5 years) in the country for October 2024 from Poshan Tracker are as follows:

| State                              | Oct, 2024   | Oct, 2024   | Oct, 2024       |
|------------------------------------|-------------|-------------|-----------------|
|                                    | Stunted (%) | Wasted (%)  | Underweight (%) |
| Andhra Pradesh                     | 22.6        | 5.3         | 10.8            |
| Arunachal Pradesh                  | 32.7        | 4.1         | 9.6             |
| Assam                              | 42.4        | 3.8         | 16.3            |
| Bihar                              | 43.8        | 9.2         | 22.9            |
| Chhattisgarh                       | 21.5        | 7.0         | 13.1            |
| Goa                                | 4.1         | 0.6         | 1.7             |
| Gujarat                            | 40.8        | 7.8         | 21.0            |
| Haryana                            | 28.2        | 4.1         | 8.7             |
| Himachal Pradesh                   | 18.4        | 1.7         | 6.3             |
| Jharkhand                          | 43.8        | 6.2         | 19.3            |
| Karnataka                          | 39.7        | 3.2         | 17.1            |
| Kerala                             | 34.4        | 2.3         | 9.5             |
| Madhya Pradesh                     | 46.5        | 6.9         | 26.5            |
| Maharashtra                        | 47.7        | 4.1         | 16.5            |
| Manipur                            | 7.7         | 0.3         | 2.6             |
| Meghalaya                          | 18.2        | 0.4         | 4.5             |
| Mizoram                            | 26.7        | 2.3         | 5.9             |
| Nagaland                           | 28.0        | 5.3         | 6.6             |
| Odisha                             | 29.1        | 2.9         | 12.8            |
| Punjab                             | 18.4        | 3.0         | 5.9             |
| Rajasthan                          | 36.6        | 5.5         | 17.7            |
| Sikkim                             | 9.2         | 1.5         | 1.7             |
| Tamil Nadu                         | 13.4        | 3.6         | 7.1             |
| Telangana                          | 32.6        | 5.6         | 16.2            |
| Tripura                            | 40.5        | 6.3         | 16.6            |
| Uttar Pradesh                      | 48.0        | 3.9         | 19.4            |
| Uttarakhand                        | 21.0        | 1.5         | 5.4             |
| West Bengal                        | 38.0        | 7.5         | 13.0            |
| Andaman & Nicobar Islands          | 8.7         | 2.3         | 3.9             |
| Dadra & Nagar Haveli - Daman & Diu | 35.9        | 3.3         | 16.1            |
| Delhi                              | 41.9        | 3.0         | 20.6            |
| J&K                                | 12.1        | 0.7         | 3.0             |
| Ladakh                             | 11.0        | 0.2         | 2.0             |
| Lakshadweep                        | 46.5        | 11.9        | 25.1            |
| Puducherry                         | 40.2        | 6.8         | 13.0            |
| UT-Chandigarh                      | 26.3        | 1.8         | 11.8            |

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