Lok Sabha Question No. 1015 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-04
Subject: National Nutrition Policy
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: RAJESH RANJAN  (PAPPU  YADAV), ARJUN RAM  MEGHWAL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1015 TO BE ANSWERED ON 4 TH DECEMBER, 2015

## NATIONAL NUTRITION P OLICY

## 1015. SHRI RAJESH RANJAN: SHRI ARJUN MEGHWAL:

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

- (a) whether the Government proposes to implement the National Nutrition Policy;
- (b) if so, the details and salient features thereof along with the time by which the poli tobe implemented;
- (c) whether the Government has constituted any Inter - Ministerial Group (IMG)/Expert panel to help to frame the policy, if so, the details thereof along with the recommendations/obse made by the group on the said policy;
- (d) the role being played by the NITI Aayog in evolving a strategy on nutrition in view latest data available on malnutrition; and
- (e)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  provide  special  assistance  to  States  and  dis registering poor performan ce on the nutrition front and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI JAGAT PRAKASH NADDA)

- (a): National Nutrition Policy (NNP) has been adopted by the Government in 1993.
- (b) &(c) : The National Nutrition Policy (NNP) i dentified key action in various areas having impact on Nutrition such as agriculture, food production, food supply, education, infor health care, social justice, tribal welfare, urban development, rural developm ent, labour, women and child development, people with special needs and monitoring and surveillance.

Contd……..

The core strategy envisaged under NNP is to tackle the problem of nutrition through nutrition  interventions  for  vulnerable  groups  as  well  as  through  various  development instruments which will improve access and create conditions for improved nutrition.

- The  direct  short - term  nutrition  intervention  suggested  by  NNP  include:  (i)  Nutriti interventions for specially vulnerable  group  such as children below 6 yrs, adol girls and pregnant and lactating women, expanding the safety nets, faci litating behaviour change  among  mothers,  reaching  the  adolescent  girls  and  ensuring  better  coverage expectant women; (ii) Fortification of essential food items with appropriate nutrie Popularisation  of  low  cost  nutritious  foods  prepared  from  i ndigenous  and  locally available  raw  materials;  (iv)  Control  of  micronutrient  deficiencies  among  vulne groups.
- The  indirect  long  term  nutrition  interventions  leading  to  institutional  and  st changes  including:  (i)  Food  security  for  improved  ava ilability  of  food  grains;  (ii) Improvement of dietary patterns through production and demonstration; (iii) Polici effecting income transfers so as to improve the entitlement package of the rural and poor -improving the purchasing power and str engthening public distribution system; (iv) Land  reforms  measures  for  reducing  vulnerabilities  of  landless  and  landed  poor; Strengthen health & family welfare programme; (vi) Imparting basis health and nutri knowledge;  (vii)  Prevention  of  food  adul teration;  (viii)  Improvement  in  nutrition surveillance; (ix) Monitoring of nutrition programmes; (x) Research into various a of  nutrition;  (xi)  Equal  remuneration  for women;  (xii)  Communication  throug established media (xiii)  Minimum wage administr ation to ensure its strict enforcement and timely revision and linking it with price rise through a suitable nutrition fo -a special legislation for providing agricultural women labourers the minimum support, at  least  60  days  leave  by  the  'employe r  in  the  last  trimester of  her  pregnancy ;  (xiv) Community  participation  for  generating  awareness  on  NNP -active  participation  of community  members  in  management  nutrition  programmes  & related  interventions through  beneficiaries  committees,  participation  of  women  in  food  production processing, promoting kitchen gardens, food preservation, preparation of weaning f generating demand of nutrition services; (xv) Education and literacy ; (xvi) Improvement in status of women.

Further  to  this  a National  Plan  of  Action  on  Nutrition  (NPAN)  1995  was  laid  down focusing on reducing undernutrition which entails a Multi - sectoraapproach for accelerated action on determinants of malnutrition.

(d)& (e) : NITI  Aayog  has  been  mandated  to  examine  the  emerging  data  on  under -nutrition and prepare, in consultation with ministries of Women and Child Development Health and Fami ly Welfare, a specific strategy for poor performing states/districts.

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