Malnutrition in India

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    Recently, the Union Minister for Women and Child Development has informed Rajya Sabha that there were 927,606 severely acute malnourished children in India.

    Child Malnutrition

    • Malnutrition, in all its forms, includes undernutrition (wasting, stunting, underweight), inadequate vitamins or minerals, overweight, obesity, and resulting diet-related noncommunicable diseases.
    • The term malnutrition addresses 3 broad groups of conditions:
      • Undernutrition, which includes wasting (low weight-for-height), stunting (low height-for-age) and underweight (low weight-for-age)
        • Together, the stunted and wasted children are considered to be underweight, indicating a lack of proper nutritional intake and inadequate care post-childbirth.
      • Micronutrient-related malnutrition, which includes micronutrient deficiencies (a lack of important vitamins and minerals) or micronutrient excess; and
      • Overweight, obesity and diet-related noncommunicable diseases (such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers).
    • It is a chronic problem and a longstanding challenge for the public administration of India.
    • Causes
      • Agriculture Output: The agriculture output from small and marginal holdings are either stagnant or declining due to reasons such as reduced soil fertility, fragmented lands or fluctuating market price of farm produce.
      • Low Income: Relative income of one section of people has been on the decline.
        • This has adverse effects on their capacity to buy adequate food, especially when food prices have been on the rise.
        • The kind of work a section of people have been doing are less remunerative or there is less opportunity to get remunerative work.
      • Public Distribution System: The public distribution system of the state is not functioning well or is not accessible to everyone.
      • Rural Unemployment: The emaciated rural livelihoods sector and lack of income opportunities other than the farm sector have contributed heavily to the growing joblessness in rural areas.
        • The PLFS 2017-18 revealed that rural unemployment stood at a concerning 6.1 per cent, which was the highest since 1972-73.

    India’s Malnutrition Profile

    • The first National Family Health Survey (NFHS) in 1992-1993 found that India was one of the worst performing countries on child health indicators.
    • There are about 189.2 million undernourished people in India with a majority of whom are women and children.
    • According to government figures from the year 2015-2016, 22.9 per cent of women in the 15-29 age group are underweight, as compared to 20.2 per cent of men in the same age group.
      • Further, according to The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020 report, in 2016, nearly 51.4 per cent of women of reproductive age in India were suffering from anemia.
      • Almost 50 per cent of women are facing severe undernutrition and Anaemia.
    • Around 60 million children, which is roughly about half, of all children in India are underweight, about 45 per cent are stunted, 21 per cent are wasted, 57 per cent are vitamin A deficient and 75 per cent are anemic.
    • Malnutrition has thus become the major contributor to the under-five mortality rate in India.
    • These statistics indicate that undernutrition in India is a gendered problem.
      • The root cause for these male-female differentials can be found in native socio-cultural norms and mindsets.
      • Such norms, rooted in patriarchy, would suggest that distribution of resources, including food, should be done in a hierarchical manner, with male members of the family typically at the top of the ladder.
    • Malnutrition and the widespread prevalence of stunting, wasting and nutritional deficiencies among women and children are well-recognised elements of India’s profile in the Global Hunger Index.
    • The prevalence of malnutrition in India has notably declined over the last decade, and the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey 2016-18 revealed that major challenges remain.
      • According to the NFHS-4, the percentage of wasted, stunted and malnourished children in 2015-16 stood at 21, 38.4 and 35.7 respectively.
      • As compared to NFHS-4 data, the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS) compiled in 2017-18 showed an improvement of 4 per cent, 3.7 per cent and 2.3 per cent in wasted, stunted and malnourished children respectively.

    Measures Taken to Tackle Malnutrition

    • Poshan Abhiyan
      • It was approved in 2017.
      • It is a multi-ministerial convergence mission with the vision to ensure the attainment of malnutrition free India by 2022.
      • The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) is implementing POSHAN Abhiyaan.
    • Integrated Child Development Services
      • It was launched on 2nd October 1975 and it represents one of the world’s largest and unique programmes for early childhood care and development.
      • The beneficiaries under the Scheme are children in the age group of 0-6 years, pregnant women and lactating mothers
      • Ministry of Women and Child Development is the implementing agency
    • Matritva Sahyog Yojana
      • Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY) is a Conditional Maternity Benefit (CMB) Scheme launched in 2010.
      • The scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development as the centrally sponsored scheme.
      • It was launched for pregnant and lactating women to improve their health and nutrition status to better-enable the environment by providing cash incentives to pregnant and nursing mothers.
    • Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana
      • The centrally sponsored scheme was launched in 2017.
      • Rs. 6,000 is transferred directly to the bank accounts of pregnant women and lactating mothers for availing better facilities for their delivery to compensate for wage loss and is eligible for the first child of the family.
      • Implementation of the scheme is closely monitored by the central and state governments through the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana-Common Application Software (PMMVY-CAS).
    • Mid-Day Meal Scheme
      • The Mid-day Meal Scheme is a school meal programme in India designed to better the nutritional standing of school-age children
      • It covers all school students studying in Classes 1 to 8 of government schools, government-aided schools, special training centres, including madrasas supported under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan.
    • National Food Security Mission
      • It was launched in 2007-08 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
      • It was based on the recommendations of the agriculture sub-committee of the National Development Council (NDC).
      • It focuses on the sustainable increase in the production of targeted crops through area expansion and productivity enhancement.
    • National Nutrition Mission
      • It is the government’s flagship programme to improve nutritional outcomes for children, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
      • Aim: To reduce stunting and wasting by 2 per cent per year (total 6 per cent until 2022) among children and anaemia by 3 per cent per year (total 9 per cent until 2022) among children, adolescent girls and pregnant women and lactating mothers.
      • The Ministry of Women and Child Development is the nodal ministry for implementation.
    • National Nutrition Strategy
      • The Strategy aims to reduce all forms of malnutrition by 2030, with a focus on the most vulnerable and critical age groups.
      • The Strategy also aims to assist in achieving the targets identified as part of the Sustainable Development Goals related to nutrition and health.

    Source: DTE

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