Question : National Nutrition Mission

707. SHRI SHRIRANG APPA BARNE:
SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA:
SHRI CHANDRA SEKHAR SAHU:
SHRI SANJAY SADASHIVRAO MANDLIK:
SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a) whether malnutrition is responsible for two-third of child deaths in India and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether there is an urgent need to focus on National Nutrition Mission to address the situation of prevailing malnourishment in the country effectively;
(c) if so, the details thereof along with the steps taken by the Government in this regard;
(d) whether the Government has urged the States to pay special attention towards effective implementation of the Poshan Abhiyaan, a programme launched with the aim of reducing levels of stunting, undernutrition, anemia and low birth weight in children;
(e) if so, the details and the outcome thereof; and
(f) the other steps taken by the Government to tackle the problem of malnourishment in the country?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
(SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a) to (f) Data on child deaths caused by malnutrition is not separately maintained. Government implements Anganwadi Services, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana and Scheme for Adolescent Girls under the Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS) as targeted interventions to address the problem of malnutrition in the country.

For alleviation of malnutrition, Government has announced Mission Poshan 2.0 to strengthen nutritional content, delivery, outreach and outcomes with focus on developing practices that nurture health, wellness and immunity to disease and malnutrition. Steps have been taken to improve nutritional quality and testing in accredited labs, strengthen delivery and leverage technology to improve governance. Government has advised States/UTs to ensure that the quality of supplementary nutrition conforms to prescribed standards laid down under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and regulations made there under. States/UTs have been advised to promote use of AYUSH systems for prevention of malnutrition and related diseases. A programme to support development of Poshan Vatikas at Anganwadi centres to meet dietary diversity gap leveraging traditional knowledge in nutritional practices has also been taken up.

States/UTs have been advised to ensure that Hot Cooked Meals are prepared in proper kitchen sheds having adequate sanitation and safe drinking water and promote use of AYUSH systems for prevention of malnutrition and related diseases. A programme to support development of Poshan Vatikas at Anganwadi centres to meet dietary diversity gap leveraging traditional wisdom in nutritional practices has also been taken up.

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