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Towards a Kuposhan Mukt Bharat
News:
- India to take strong measures to combat Malnutrition.
Important Facts:
- POSHAN (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment) Abhiyan was launched in March from Jhunjhunu to fight against Kuposhan (Malnutrition).
- Malnutrition Indicators in India:
- Objective and Targets of Kuposhan Muqt Bharat:
- 3 percentages reduction yearly in underweight prevalence in children (0-3 years) by 2022 from NFHS-4 levels.
- 1/3rd reduction in anaemia in children, adolescent & Women of Reproductive Age (WRA).
- UN expert says malnutrition figures in India were worse than those of sub-Saharan Africa
- Reasons
- More underweight babies born to more underweight mothers.
- Mothers are underweight because there is a high level of anemia among women (55 per cent).
- Women gave birth at an early age
- There is not enough spacing between children
- There is a high dropout rate from school.
- Bare minimum nutritional food to eat.
- MWCD has implemented the following schemes to address malnutrition:
- Under Umbrella ICDS scheme of MWCD (Ministry of Women and Child Development), 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.
- Recently National Nutrition Mission has been approved under MWCD for addressing malnutrition status of the country in a comprehensive manner.
- What can be done
- To prepare a detailed action plan for states to tackle malnutrition.
- Need to track progress closely, and consider a yearly survey instead of the six-yearly National Family Health Survey (NFHS).
- Attitudinal change towards dyslexic (Unable to read and spell) and special children.
