Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:
(a) whether about 10 per cent population of the country is deprived of balanced diet;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) the details of the provision made by the Government to provide balanced diet to the people of the country;
(d) the reasons behind the deprivation of 10 per cent population despite implementation of said scheme; and
(e) the corrective steps taken by the Government in this regard?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND
FAMILY WELFARE
(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)
(a) & (b): As per National Nutrition Monitoring Board report 2012, cereals and millets form the bulk of the diets of the rural Indian population. In general, the rural population subsisting on inadequate diets as the mean intakes of all the food groups, except roots and tubers are below the recommended dietary intakes (RDI) for Indians.
However, there is no specific data on percentage of population of the country deprived of balanced diet.
(c):
• To provide balanced diet to the vulnerable age groups such as children under 6 years of age, adolescents, pregnant and lactating mothers, the Government has made provisions for supplementary nutrition through the Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) under the Anganwadi Services of the Umbrella ICDS Scheme.
• The details of daily nutrition entitlement for children and pregnant and lactating women under this scheme, as provided under Schedule II of National Food Security Act, 2013 are as follows:
S.No. Category Type of meal Calories
(Kcal) Protein(g)
1. Children (6 months to 3 years) Take Home Ration 500 12-15
2. Children (3 to 6 years) Morning snack and Hot Cooked Meal 500 12-15
3. Children (6 months to 6 years) who are malnourished Take Home Ration 800 20-25
4. Pregnant women and Lactating mothers Take Home Ration 600 18-20
• Supplementary Nutrition under the Anganwadi Services Scheme is provided in order to bridge the gap between the Recommended Dietary Allowances for Indians prescribed by the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Average Dietary Intake among the population based on the National Surveys. Accordingly, the nutrition norms under the programme are formulated to bridge this gap.
(d) & (e).
• The reasons behind inadequate consumption of balanced diet at population level are lack of availability, as well as knowledge regarding importance of balanced diet.
• Government is implementing monthly Village Health and Nutrition Days to increase community awareness regarding importance of consumption of nutritious and balanced diet.