MINISTER OF STATE OF THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
(SHRIMATI KRISHNA TIRATH)
(a) to (d) As per Report on Causes of Death in India, 2001-03 by Registrar General of
India, deaths due to nutritional deficiencies in women in different age groups are as below :
Age (years) Percentage of deaths
15-24 1.5
25-34 1.4
35-44 1.1
45-54 1.0
55-69 0.6
As per the above Report, the number of deaths due to nutritional deficiencies in females
in the age group 0-69 years are of the order of 1.4 percent.
State-wise data on the number of deaths of women due to malnutrition alone is not
brought out.
The Government has been implementing several schemes which are meant to make an impact
on the nutritional status of women. Some of them 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. Under
the ICDS, pregnant and lactating women are eligible for supplementary nutrition, nutrition and
health education and health services as envisaged.
(ii) National Rural Health Mission has interventions such as the Reproductive & Child Health Programme which include Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) to promote 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 Iodised salt to prevent iodine deficiency.
(iii) Nutrition Programme for Adolescent Girls and Kishori Shakti Yojna of Ministry of Women
and Child Development.
(iv) Availability of essential food items at subsidized cost through Targeted Public Distribution System, Antodaya Anna Yojna
(v) Provision of safe water supply and sanitation under the Total Sanitation Campaign and
(vi) Other employment and income generation schemes such as Mahatama Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS), Swaranjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojna (SGSY) etc.
Most of the above schemes are implemented by the State/UT administration. The system for
monitoring and coordination is inbuilt in the various schemes at all levels with
Inter-Ministerial/ Inter-Departmental Coordination Committees having representation of
different Ministries/Departments. Further, efforts are continuously made to bring about
convergence between different schemes through the mechanism of joint letters, consultative
meetings and through advisories.
