Nutritional Security in India – Significance and Challenges – Explained Pointwise

Nutrition is closely linked to the development of human capital in the country, as improved nutrition contributes to better health, learning outcomes and productivity. As POSHAN Abhiyaan completes eight years, the mission reflects the growing emphasis on convergence, technology-enabled governance and community participation in addressing nutrition challenges. The transition to Mission Poshan 2.0 underscores a continued focus on improving service quality, expanding early childhood care and strengthening last-mile delivery systems.

Table of Content

What is Nutritional Security? What is the Status of Nutrition insecurity in India? What are the reasons for the lack of Nutritional Security in India?  What are the negative effects of malnutrition? What Initiatives have been undertaken to provide for Nutritional Security in India? What Should be the Way Forward?

What is Nutritional Security? What is the Status of Nutrition insecurity in India?

• Nutritional Security: According to the FAO (2009), nutrition security implies physical, economic and social access to balanced diet, clean drinking water, safe environment, and health care (preventive and curative) for every individual.
• High Nutritional Insecurity in India (Malnutrition): According to World Bank Report, despite the sharp decline in extreme poverty in India from 45.9% to 13.4% between 1993 and 2015, India still suffers from a high malnutrition burden.
• Extreme Poverty according to WB: Defined at $1.9 per capita per day at the 2011 purchasing power parity rate (PPP).

Latest Findings of NHFS-5 regarding malnutrition: a. More than half the Indian women in the 15-49 age group are anemic. b. The prevalence of stunting (Low height-for-age) amongst children under five years is 35.5%. c. The prevalence of wasting (Low weight-for-height) amongst Children under five years is 19.3%. d. The proportion of underweight children in India is 32.1%.

Double Burden of Nutritional Insecurity: According to a new Lancet study, there has been a steady increase in obesity levels in India. India has become one of the countries with a high ‘double burden of nutritional insecurity‘, with the increase in both malnutrition and the obesity levels.

Read More- Obesity in India- Explained Pointwise

Key Findings of the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) Report Regarding Nutrition Security in India: a. Nutritional Insecurity amongst the 10% Poorest Population: Average daily per capita calorie Intake (PCCI) for a healthy life is 2,172 kcal in rural India and 2,135 kcal in urban India. The calorie intake of the poorest 10% of the Indian population is below the average PCCI. The average daily PCCI of 10% poorest population is 1,564-1,764 kcal in rural areas and 1,607-1,773 kcal in urban areas. b. Nutritional insecurity Variation amongst the 10% Poorest Population: There is variation in calorie intake amongst the 10% poorest population. The average PCCI for the poorest 5% in rural areas is 1,564 kcal, and for the next poorest 5% is 1,764 kcal. In urban areas, the figures are 1,607 kcal and 1,773 kcal, respectively. c. Proportion of Poor/Deprived based on Nutritional Requirement: The proportion of poor based on the nutritional threshold of PCCI is estimated at 17.1% for rural areas and 14% for urban areas.

What are the reasons for the lack of Nutritional Security in India? 

There are multiple reasons behind the lack of nutritional security in India. These are explained below:

1. Affordability Issues for the Poor Household: Affordability of nutritious food products, such as green leafy vegetables, protein-rich diet, has become difficult for the poor households in India. The increasing wealth inequality, with top 10% of Indians holding 57% of the national income, has exacerbated nutritional insecurity.
2. Focus on Staple Crops: Agricultural policies, like Green Revolution, have prioritized the production of staple crops like wheat and rice over diverse, nutrient-rich crops. This has led to micronutrient deficiencies amongst the population.
3. Calories Fundamentalism: The focus of the Public Distribution Scheme has been limited to ensuring food security and calorie requirement. The need for nutritional development has not been taken into account.
4. Feminine marginalization in Nutrition: The nutritional requirements of adolescent and young female in poor and lower middle income households are not prioritized. This leads to malnourished female population and their off-springs. For ex- Large prevalance of anemia due to inadequate focus on iron deficiency in female diet.
5. Laxity in effective implementation of Child Care practices: Child caring practices, including exclusive breastfeeding, and introduction of complementary food and a diversified diet after the first six months, are not implemented properly. For ex- Only 55% of children in India were exclusively breastfed in 2015-16.
6. Growth of Fast-food and junk-food Culture: Cheaper and easily available junk food has replaced the nutritious food in the dietary intakes of Indian population. For ex- According to recent Household Consumption Survey, Indians are spending less on cereals and pulses and more on beverages, refreshments and processed food.
7. Increased income and urbanization: Increased income levels have led to a rise in the consumption of foods high in fats, sugar, and low physical activity. According to a joint study conducted by WHO and ICRIER, India’s ultra-processed food industry has grown at a CAGR of 13.37% in terms of retail sales value between 2011 and 2021.

What are the negative effects of malnutrition?

1. Child Deaths: According to a Lancet Study in 2019, a staggering 68% of 1.04 million deaths of children under five years in India were attributable to malnutrition.
2. Improper development of Children in formative years: Obesity in children results in stunted physical and cognitive development.
3. Psychosocial Impact: Malnourished individuals face psychosocial challenges like, body image issues and mental health concerns due to societal stigmas associated with weight.
4. Economic Burden: Malnutrition increases the economic burden due to productivity losses on account of decreased work efficiency and absenteeism.
5. Social Inequality and Disparities: Undernutrition and malnutrition perpetuates a cycle of health challenges and economic disadvantages amongst the vulnerable sections, exacerbates existing socio-economic disparities. Women are disproportionately affected by malnutrition, facing challenges related to reproductive health, maternal health, and overall well-being.

What Initiatives have been undertaken to provide for Nutritional Security in India?

National Nutrition Strategy (2017)	NITI Aayog’s National Nutrition Strategy emphasised convergence, improved monitoring and community participation, and recommended a mission-mode approach. It aims to reduce the prevalence of underweight children (0-3 years) by 3% every year by 2022 from NHFS 2015-16 estimates. Building on this, the POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched in 2018 as India’s National Nutrition Mission to bring multiple ministries and schemes under a unified framework with time-bound targets, digital monitoring and a Jan Andolan approach.
National Nutrition Mission (NNM) [POSHAN Abhiyan]	National Nutrition Mission (NNM), also known as POSHAN Abhiyan (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment) is a flagship, multi-ministerial mission to place nutrition at the centre of India’s national development agenda. POSHAN Abhiyaan recognizes that malnutrition cannot be addressed by the health or food sector alone — it requires simultaneous action on sanitation, education, water, women’s empowerment, and income. POSHAN Abhiyaan was designed around a lifecycle and preventive approach — rather than solely addressing acute malnutrition after it occurs. The mission places special emphasis on the first 1,000 days — from conception to two years of age — as this period is critical for physical growth, brain development and long-term health outcomes. The defining character of POSHAN Abhiyaan is its positioning of nutrition improvement as a Jan Andolan — a genuine people’s movement rather than a government-administered programme.
Mission POSHAN 2.0	The Union Budget 2021–22 consolidated India’s fragmented nutrition initiatives under Mission Poshan 2.0 (Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0), creating a unified and integrated framework. This restructuring subsumed the following schemes: 1. Anganwadi Services 2. Scheme for Adolescent Girls 3. POSHAN AbhiyaanThe mission is re-structured & operates through the following primary verticals: 1. Nutrition Support for children, pregnant women & lactating mothers & adolescent girls. 2. Early Childhood Care and Education (3-6 years) and early stimulation for (0-3 years) 3. Anganwadi Infrastructure including upgradation of centres into Saksham Anganwadi
Poshan Tracker App	Poshan Tracker serves as the primary governance tool for monitoring infrastructure and service delivery. The application has facilitated near real-time data collection for Anganwadi Services, daily attendance of children, ECCE activities, and growth monitoring. Poshan Tracker Application now enables near real-time monitoring of over 14 lakh Anganwadi Centres & nearly 9 crore beneficiaries under the National Nutrition Mission.
Poshan Pakhwada	Observed annually since 2018, Poshan Pakhwada is a two-week intensive outreach campaign conducted in April to strengthen community mobilisation and reinforce key nutrition behaviours under POSHAN Abhiyaan.
Rashtriya Poshan Maah	To promote nutrition awareness, Poshan Maah is celebrated every September as a nationwide Jan Andolan. The campaign is implemented across all States and Union Territories through Gram Panchayats, Urban Local Bodies, schools, health facilities and Anganwadi Centres in convergence with partner ministries.
National Breastfeeding Promotion Programs	Programs like MAA- Mother’s Absolute Affection and Vatsalya- Matri Amrit Kosh,  aim to strengthen the regulation on breast milk substitutes and improve breastfeeding practice.
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)	The ICDS, launched in 1975, provided the foundational platform for supplementary nutrition, health services and early childhood care through Anganwadi Centres. Integrated Child Development Services provides nutritional meals, preschool education, primary healthcare, immunization, health check-up and referral services to children under 6 years of age and their mothers.
Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)	Recognising that the health of a mother is a critical factor in ensuring the health and nutrition of her child, PMMVY was launched in 2017. This scheme introduced maternity benefits through direct cash transfers, thus providing financial support for pregnant and lactating mothers.
Midday Meal Scheme	It aims to provide cooked meals to every child within the age group of six to fourteen years studying in classes I to VIII who enrolls and attends the school.

What Should be the Way Forward?

1. Change in the Policy Focus: The agricultural policies and programmes should be leveraged to be more ‘nutrition sensitive‘. The focus of food distribution programmes need to shift from ‘calories fundamentalism’ to providing a more diversified food basket, including coarse grains, millets, and pulses to improve the nutritional status of pre-school children and women of reproductive age.
2. Innovative approaches: Innovative techniques such as bio-fortification, which involves incorporating nutrients into the seeds of major food grains will help to improve the micro-nutrient intake. Various food-based safety nets such as PDS, MDM can include bio-fortified staples to provide a more diversified food basket.
3. Enhanced Focus on WASH initiatives: Synergy between WASH initiatives (safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene) and nutritional interventions will have a multiplier effect on nutritional outcomes. This will help in improving child nutritional outcomes and are key to the success of nutritional interventions.
4. Focus on Women education: Targeted programs for improving the educational status of girls, particularly at the higher educational levels, need to be promoted. This will help in better implementation of child care practices like breastfeeding and nutritional needs of children.
5. Improving healthcare services: Improvement of access and utilization of prenatal and post-natal healthcare services must be prioritized. It would play a significant role in curbing under-nutrition amongst children through comprehensive awareness programs and community participation.
6. Successful International Interventions: India can draw key lessons from some of the developing countries to tackle the challenge of food insecurity and malnutrition. For ex- Brazil has transformed its food system and is investing in agricultural R&D and social protection programs to reduce the level of hunger in the country. China has attached great importance to early childhood development and has formulated a series of plans in this regard.

Conclusion: As India advances towards the vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047, continued investments in nutrition, early childhood development and service delivery systems will remain critical for building a healthy, productive and resilient population.

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