(a) the State-wise details of Nutritional Rehabilitation Centre
in the country;
(b) whether the National Nutrition Council on India’s
Nutrition challenges provides food only to infants and not
to the rest of the family;
(c) if so, whether Government intends to widen its scope; and
(d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor ?
MINISTER OF STATE OF THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
(SHRIMATI KRISHNA TIRATH)
(a) to (d): The Government of India through the National Rural Health
Mission (NRHM), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is facilitating the
states in setting up Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres (NRCs) to address
severe undernutrition and underlying complications. The number of NRCs,
State-wise is Annexed.
The Prime Minister’s National Council for India’s Nutrition
Challenges is for giving policy directions and for reviewing & achieving
effective coordination amongst various programmes. There are various
programmes for provision of food/supplementary nutrition.
Supplementary nutrition as a gap filling measure is provided to
children below six years of age, pregnant and nursing mothers as one of
the services under the Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS).
Under Mid-Day-Meal food is provided to children 6-14 years of age, for
school going children from class I to class VIII. Under Integrated Child
Protection Schemes (ICPS) and creche Scheme also support is given to the
eligible children for food as per norms of the Scheme. The recently
introduced Rajiv Gandhi Schemes for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls
(RGSEAG), namely SABLA provides a package of services including health
and nutrition to adolescent girls in the age group of 11-14 years for
out of school girls and 15-18 years for all girls for nutrition in
200 districts as a pilot. Another new scheme, the Indira Gandhi
Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY) through cash assistance as an enabling
environment for improved health and nutrition to pregnant and lactating
mothers and support for providing early & exclusive breastfeeding for
the first six months of life on pilot basis in 52 districts initially.
There is availability of essential food items at subsidized cost through
Targeted Public Distribution System, Antodaya Anna Yojna for general
public. Government has also introduced Food Security Bill in the Lok
Sabha. With these measures in place, the scope is already comprehensive.