Lok Sabha Question No. 4247 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-20
Subject: Zero-food Children
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Ms Sayani Ghosh

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4247 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20 TH DECEMBER 2024

## ZERO-FOOD CHILDREN

## 4247. MS SAYANI GHOSH:

Will the Minister of HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFARE be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has conducted any survey to identify the number of zero-food children in the country and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether the Government has taken any steps to reduce the prevalence of child wasting, stunting and underweight children in the country and if so, the details thereof;

(c) the amount of funds allocated and utilized for these initiatives during the last five years, year-wise;

(d) whether the Government has taken cognizance of news reports that out of 7 lakh children around 5 lakh under the age of five died due to child and maternal malnutrition and if so, the details thereof; and

(e) the steps taken by the Government to prevent such deaths?

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

## (a), (b), (d) and (e)

As reported by Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, National Food Security Act, 2013 provides pregnant women, lactating mothers and children in the age group of 6 months to 14 years meals as per prescribed nutrition norms under Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Mission Poshan 2.0 schemes. Higher nutritional norms are prescribed for malnourished children upto six years of age. Pregnant women and lactating mothers are further entitled to receive cash maternity benefits of not less than Rs 6000 to partly compensate for the wage loss during the period of pregnancy and also to supplement nutrition.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is implementing interventions to address malnutrition among children and women and to improve child survival all across the country as placed below:

-  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.

-  Field level workers as ANMs, CHOs and ASHAs promote awareness on anaemia prevention, nutrition management and healthy diets.
-  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.
-  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.
-  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.
-  Facility Based New-born Care: Special New-born Care Units (SNCUs) are established at District Hospital and Medical College level, New-born Stabilization Units (NBSUs) are established at First Referral Units (FRUs)/ Community Health Centres (CHCs) for care of sick and small babies.

(c)

The funds allocated and utilized for nutrition programmes under National Health Mission (NHM) during the last five years, year-wise, is placed as under:

| Funds approved and expenditure for Nutrition programmes under NHM(in lakhs)   | Funds approved and expenditure for Nutrition programmes under NHM(in lakhs)   | Funds approved and expenditure for Nutrition programmes under NHM(in lakhs)   | Funds approved and expenditure for Nutrition programmes under NHM(in lakhs)   | Funds approved and expenditure for Nutrition programmes under NHM(in lakhs)   | Funds approved and expenditure for Nutrition programmes under NHM(in lakhs)   | Funds approved and expenditure for Nutrition programmes under NHM(in lakhs)   | Funds approved and expenditure for Nutrition programmes under NHM(in lakhs)   | Funds approved and expenditure for Nutrition programmes under NHM(in lakhs)   | Funds approved and expenditure for Nutrition programmes under NHM(in lakhs)   |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2020-21*                                                                      | 2020-21*                                                                      | 2021-22*                                                                      | 2021-22*                                                                      | 2022-23                                                                       | 2022-23                                                                       | 2023-24                                                                       | 2023-24                                                                       | 2024-25 (up to Q2)                                                            | 2024-25 (up to Q2)                                                            |
| App                                                                           | Exp                                                                           | App                                                                           | Exp                                                                           | App                                                                           | Exp                                                                           | App                                                                           | Exp                                                                           | App                                                                           | Exp                                                                           |
| 18499.7                                                                       | 11274.4                                                                       | 98082.1                                                                       | 61866                                                                         | 129011.1                                                                      | 51384.4                                                                       | 150807.1                                                                      | 62585.9                                                                       | 121967.4                                                                      | 16738.2                                                                       |

(Source: NHM Finance)

1. SPIP Approval and Expenditure is as per the available Financial Management Reports submitted by State/UTs and are provisional.
2. Expenditure includes Expenditure against Central Release, Corresponding State share release & unspent balances at the beginning of the year.
3. *Includes budget allocation for all CH programmes like MAA,NDD,AMB,NRC, VitA, IMNCI,F-IMNCI,IDCF, HBYC, HBNC, NBSU,NSSK,SNCU, KMC, SAANS, Family Participatory Care,CDR, Paed-HDU etc
4. Expenditure for FY 2024-25 includes expenditure against central Release, State release & unspent balances at the beginning of the year. The expenditure w.r.t. flexible pool for RCH, etc. is updated up-to 30.09.2024 except Arunachal Pradesh, PJ (updated up-to 31.08.2024), KN, MZ (updated up-to 31.07.2024) & MG (updated up-to 30.06.2024).
5. App-Approvals, Exp-Expenditure

As provided by Ministry of Women & Child Development, funds released from FY 2021-22 to FY 2024-25 under Mission Poshan 2.0 are placed as under:

| Funds released under Mission Poshan 2.0 (in crores)   | Funds released under Mission Poshan 2.0 (in crores)   | Funds released under Mission Poshan 2.0 (in crores)   | Funds released under Mission Poshan 2.0 (in crores)   | Funds released under Mission Poshan 2.0 (in crores)   | Funds released under Mission Poshan 2.0 (in crores)   | Funds released under Mission Poshan 2.0 (in crores)   | Funds released under Mission Poshan 2.0 (in crores)   |
|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|
| 2021-22                                               | 2021-22                                               | 2022-23                                               | 2022-23                                               | 2023-24                                               | 2023-24                                               | 2024-25                                               | 2024-25                                               |
| Released                                              | Utilized                                              | Released                                              | Utilized                                              | Released                                              | Utilized                                              | Released                                              | Utilized                                              |
| 18368.01                                              | 18789.28                                              | 19849.82                                              | 19,352.89                                             | 21741.17                                              | *                                                     | 12027.62                                              | *                                                     |

(Funds released on 20 th November'2024)

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