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