(a) whether the Government has launched a uniform scheme to bridge the wide variations in maternal
nutrition and health among various States;
(b) I f so, the details thereof; and
(c) the critical measures adopted by the Government to achieve Millennium Development Goal 5 by 2015 in this regard?
MINISTER OF STATE OF THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI KRISHNA TIRATH)
(a) to (c): Government accords high priority to improve the nutritional and health status of women and to
reduce the maternal mortality rate and has been implementing several schemes/ programmes of different Ministries/
Departments, through State Government/ UTs. Some of the programmes/ schemes which impact the nutritional status
of women are:
(i) The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme provides a package of six services namely
supplementary nutrition, pre-school non-formal education, nutrition & health education, immunization, health
check-up and referral services for women and children. Three of the services namely immunization, health
check-up and referral services are delivered through the public health system of Ministry of Health & Family
Welfare. As per the revised norms for supplementary nutrition, pregnant and lactating women are provided
with 600 k. calories & 18-20 g protein at the rate of Rs. 5.00 per beneficiary /per day.
(ii) National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) has interventions such as the Reproductive & Child Health
Programme (RCH) which include Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) to promote safe motherhood including institutional
deliveries, immunization, specific programmes to prevent and combat micronutrient deficiencies including Iron &
Folic Acid supplementation etc. The National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control programme focuses on consumption
of Iodized salt to prevent iodine deficiency.
(iii) The recently introduced Rajiv Gandhi Schemes for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG), namely SABLA
would provide 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.
(iv) The Government has also recently approved implementation of ‘Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana(IGMSY)†– a Conditional Maternity Benefit (CMB) scheme in 52 selected districts on a pilot basis.
(v) Availability of essential food items at subsidized cost through Targeted Public Distribution System,
Antodaya Anna Yojna.
(vi) Provision for safe drinking water supply and sanitation under the Total Sanitation Campaign.
(vii) Other employment and income generation schemes such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS), Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojna (SGSY) etc.
Several of the schemes namely, ICDS, NRHM, Mid Day meal (MDM), Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojna
have been expanded to provide for increased coverage and improved services to the people which would further
improve the nutrition situation. These programmes will also impact the Millennium Development Goal 5.