National Nutrition Strategy (NNS) has been published by NITI Aayog in 2017. The salient features of the National Nutrition Strategy are as follows: 

Vision 2022: “Kuposhan Mukt Bharat”. 

Objectives and targets:

o   3 point percentage / year reduction in underweight prevalence in children (0-3 years) by 2022 from NFHS-4 levels

o   1/3rd reduction in anaemia in children, adolescent & Women of Reproductive Age (WRA) 

Key strategic areas of action:

1.      Governance reform

2.      Leading by example

3.      Convergence

4.      Prioritise action

5.      Intensification of Counselling to reach the critical age group

6.      Continuum of care

7.      Innovative service delivery models

8.      Community based monitoring

9.      Enabling actions 

Nutrition specific interventions:

o   Infant and Young Child care and Nutrition

o   Infant and Young Child Health

o   Maternal Care, Nutrition and Health

o   Adolescent care, nutrition and Health

o   Addressing micronutrient deficiencies- including anemia

o   Community nutrition (Interventions addressing community) 

Funding (leveraging):

o   National Health Mission

o   National Nutrition Mission

o   Integrated Child Development Scheme

o   Swachh Bharat Mission

o   Increased provision of 25% flexi funds for States in Centrally sponsored schemes

 

Government of India is implementing various schemes and programmes to prevent malnutrition which are as follows:

·         MoHFW under the umbrella of National Health Mission (NHM) has implemented following schemes and programmes which address the issue of malnutrition:

o   Promotion of appropriate Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices that include early initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding till 6 months of age through ASHA worker and health care provider at health facilities. In order to promote and support breastfeeding, Government has implemented “MAA- Mothers’ Absolute Affection” programmeto improve breastfeeding coverage and appropriate breastfeeding practices in the country. A greater emphasis is laid on capacity building of the health workers on lactation management at both community and facility levels and 360 degree IEC campaign to create awareness regarding breastfeeding.

o   Vitamin A supplementation (VAS) for children till the age of 5 years.

o    ‘National Iron Plus Initiative’ has been launched as an effective strategy for supplementation and treatment of anaemia in children, adolescents, pregnant and lactating women, in programme mode through life cycle approach. Specific program to prevent and treat micronutrient deficiencies through Iron & Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation across life stages are:

Ø  Bi-weekly IFA syrup supplementation to children 6 – 59 months.

Ø  Weekly IFA tablet supplementation to children 5 – 10 years and adolescents 10 – 19 years

Ø  IFA tablets to pregnant and lactating women.

o   National Deworming Day is a fixed day strategy to administer Albendazole tablets to all the children in the age group of 1-19 years through the platform of AWCs and Schools. More than 75 crores doses have been administered since 2014.

o   In order to increase awareness about the use of ORS and Zinc in diarrhoea, an Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (IDCF) is being observed during July-August, with the ultimate aim of ‘zero child deaths due to childhood diarrhoea’.

o   Incentives are provided to ASHA for tracking of Low birth weight babies.

o   Promotion for intake of iodised salt and monitoring salt quality through testing under National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Programme.

o   Under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), systematic efforts are undertaken to detect nutrition deficiency among children and adolescents respectively.

o   Mission Indradhanush: Launched on 25th December, 2014 with the objective to ensure high coverage of children with all vaccines in identified districts with the goal of reaching the unreached to achieve 90% full immunization coverage in India.

o   Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) provides child health screening for 30 common health conditions by expanding the reach of mobile health teams at block level and establishment of District Early Intervention Centres (DEICs) at the districts for early interventions services.

o   Village Health and Nutrition Days and Mother and Child Protection Card are the joint initiative of the Ministry of Health & Family welfare and the Ministry of Woman and Child Development for addressing the nutrition concerns in children, pregnant women and lactating mothers. Village Health and Nutrition Days (VHNDs) are monthly days held at village level in Anganwadi centre to increase the awareness and bring about desired changes in the dietary practices including the promotion of breastfeeding. 

·         MWCD has implemented the following schemes to address malnutrition:

o   Under Umbrella ICDS scheme of MWCD Supplementary Nutrition Programme is being implemented through platform of Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) for addressing under-nutrition in pregnant and lactating women, under-6 children and out-of-school adolescent girls.

o   Recently National Nutrition Mission has been approved under MWCD for addressing malnutrition status of the country in a comprehensive manner. 

The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Sh Ashwini Kumar Choubey stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here today. 

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MV/LK

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