FOOD-BASED INTERVENTIONS FOR
IMPROVING MALNUTRITION IN
INDIA
DR. P.K. SAHA
DEPUTY COMMISISONER (CROPS)
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE,
INDIA
CHANLENGES IN INDIA
 22 % babies are born with under weight
 50 out of 1000 live births do not complete their first
year of life
 Only 44% infants are fully immunized
 42.5% of children 0-5 years are underweight
 15.8% of children 0-5 years are severely underweight
 79% children (6-35 months) are anaemic
 36.0% Women with Chronic Energy Deficiencies
 56.2% women are anaemic
Nutritional status in India
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Children suffering from severe malnutrition in
rural area
1975-79 15%
2000-01 6.4%
Children suffering from moderate & severe
malnutrition in rural area
1975-79 62.5%
2000-01 47.7%
THE NATIONAL NUTRITION POLICY
(NNP) 1993
Identified key areas of action
in
various
areas
like
agriculture, food production,
food
supply,
education,
information, health care,
social justice, tribal welfare,
urban development, rural
development, labour, women
and
child
development,
people with special needs
and
monitoring
and
surveillance.
The
core
strategy
envisaged under NNP is
to tackle the problem of
nutrition through direct
nutrition interventions
for vulnerable groups
as well as through
various
development
policy
instruments
which
will
improve
access
and
create
conditions for improved
nutrition.
THE NATIONAL PLAN OF ACTION ON NUTRITION (NPAN) 1995
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NPAN 1995 laid down the framework for systematic collaboration among
national government ministries / departments, State Governments, NGOs,
the private sector and the international community.
Specific implementation arrangements suggested by NPAN includes
National Nutrition Council headed by the Prime Minister, Special working
groups in concerned Ministries/Departments, constituting similar bodies like
Coordination Committees, Nutrition Council etc. at the state and district
levels by the State Governments, among others.
Focus on reducing under nutrition requires a Multi - sectoral approach for
accelerated action on determinants of malnutrition, better integration &
policy coherence.
SHORT-TERM NUTRITION INTERVENTIONS of NNP
The direct short-term nutrition intervention:
(i) Nutrition interventions for specially vulnerable group such as
children below 6 yrs, adolescent girls and pregnant and
lactating women, expanding the safety nets, facilitating
behaviour change among mothers, reaching the adolescent
girls and ensuring better coverage of expectant women;
(ii) Fortification of essential food items with appropriate nutrients
(iii) Popularisation of low cost nutritious foods prepared from
indigenous and locally available raw materials
(iv) Control of micronutrient deficiencies among vulnerable
groups.
(V) Incentive to Girl Education
LONG -TERM NUTRITION INTERVENTIONS of NNP
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(i) Food security for improved availability of food grains;
(ii) Improvement of dietary patterns through production and demonstration;
(iii) Policies for improving purchasing power and strengthening public distribution
system;
(iv) Prohibiting unwarranted diversion of land and water from food production.
(v) Strengthen health & family welfare programmes
(vi) Imparting basic health and nutrition knowledge
(vii) Prevention of food adulteration
ix) Monitoring of nutrition programmes;
(x) Research into various aspects of nutrition;
(xi) Equal remuneration for women
(xii) Communication through established media
(xiii) Minimum wage administration to ensure its strict enforcement and timely revision
and linking it with price rise through a suitable nutrition formula.
(xiv) Community participation for generating awareness on NNP
(xv) Education and literacy;
(xvi) Improvement in status of women.
RECENT DECISIONS-PRIME MINISTER COUNCIL ON INDIA’S
NUTRITION CHALLENGES
• Strengthening and restructuring the ICDS scheme
• Introduction of a multi-sectoral programme to address
maternal and child malnutrition in selected 200 high burden
districts.
• Introducing nationwide information, education and
communication campaign against malnutrition.
• Making nutrition a focus in the programmes in schemes of
line Ministries.
Existing Nutrition & Health interventions in India
Concern Ministries
Activities
Ministry of Woman & Child
Development
Nutritional advocacy & awareness programme
Nutrition programmes for adolescent girls
Micronutrient Deficiency (Iron, Vitamin A, iodine)
Ministry of Panchayati Raj
making efforts to mainstream nutrition
Ministry of Human Resource Establishing linkages with RGSEAG, for
Development
addressing under nutrition and anaemia in both
out of school and school going girls.
Ministry of Agriculture
strengthening improvement in food and nutrition
security.
Ministry of Rural Development.
strengthened food security models linked with
PRIs
Ministry of
Industries
Food
Processing training and orientation of Self Help Groups.
Ministry of Health & family Welfare Integrated Child Development Scheme
Macronutrient Deficiency (protien)
Department of School Education Mid Day Meal
and Literacy
MID DAY MEAL (MDM) SCHEME
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MDM scheme by Department of School Education and Literacy has a
provision for providing meals to children studying in class I to VIII in
Government, Government aided, local body schools etc.
2006 onwards the MDM provide 450 calorie and 12 gm protein to primary
school children and the upper primary level are 700 calorie and 20 grams of
protein.
During 2010-11, 10.50 crore children were served hot cooked meals during
school working days in 11.63 lakh schools in the country.
Out come of Nutritional Programmes
• Infant mortality has reduced from 64.9/1000
in 2000 to 47.57/1000 in 2011.
• Child Mortality rate has decreased from
250/1000 in 1960 to 65.6/1000 in 2009
Other Recent Programmes
• Right to Education: The Right of children to Free and
Compulsory Education Act has come into force from
April 1, 2010. Under this act every child in the age
group of 6-14 years will be provided 8 years of
elementary education in an age appropriate classroom
in the vicinity of his/her neighbourhood.
• Right to Food: In pursuance of the Government’s
commitment to enact National Food Security Act, the
Department of Food and Public Distribution, Ministry
of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, have
prepared a draft National Food Security Bill which is
being presented to the Parliament.
Cont…..Other Recent Programmes
• Right to Employment : The Mahatma Gandhi National
Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is an
Indian job guarantee scheme, enacted by legislation
on August 25, 2005. The scheme provides a legal
guarantee for one hundred days of employment in
every financial year to adult members of any rural
household willing to do Public Work -related unskilled
manual work at the statutory minimum wage of Rs.120
per day.
• National Livelihood Mission: After the successful
implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act another mission called
National Rural Livelihood Mission has been launched
to further strengthen the employment opportunities.
FOOD Security Initiatives
Demand and supply of food grains
Plan period
Projected
demand (MT)
Projected supply
(MT)
Actual production
(MT)
10th Plan (2002-2007)
234.26
230.00
217.28
11th Plan (2007-12)
244.00
240.00
241.57
12th Plan (2012-17)
260.00
Source: Working group report of Planning Commission
Production and growth rates of major food
crops in India
Crops
Production (million tons) 201011
Growth rate (%)
(2007-08-2010-11)
Rice
95.32
0.74
Wheat
85.93
3.21
Coarse Cereals
42.22
-1.16
Pulses
18.09
6.67
Total Food grains
241.57
2.90
Oilseeds
31.10
11.00
Sugarcane
339.17
-0.40
Source : DES, MOA
Annual per capita consumption of foodgrains in
India ( in kg)
Crops
1993-94
2009-10
Rural
Urban
Rural
Urban
Rice
82.61
62.41
74.70
56.64
Wheat
52.56
54.02
53.03
52.84
Jower
10.22
4.75
3.55
2.24
Maize
4.62
0.37
2.42
0.26
163.03
128.97
138.08
114.05
Pulses
9.25
10.46
7.92
9.60
Oilseeds
4.50
6.81
7.74
9.95
Total cereals
Source : DES, MOA
Food based interventions in Agriculture Sector
Schemes
Launching
year
Major activities
National Food
Security Mission
(NFSM)
2006-07
To produce additional 20 million tons of food
grains including 10, 8 and 2 million tons of
rice, wheat and pulses respectively by 201112 to meet the projected consumption
requirement i.e 235 million tons,
National Horticulture
Mission (NHM)
2005-06
To promote holistic growth of the horticulture
sector through area regionally differentiated
strategies;
to
enhance
horticulture
production, improve nutritional security and
income support to farm households and
others etc.
Rastriya Krishi Vikas
Yojana ( RKVY)
2007-08
To Step up public investment in Agriculture &
allied sector.
Food based interventions in Agriculture Sector
Schemes
Launching
year
Major activities
Bringing Green
2010-11
Revolution to Eastern
India
to utilize the untapped potential for improving
rice based cropping system in Eastern India.
Integrated
2010-11
Development of
60,000 Pulses Villages
in Rainfed Areas
To promote 60,000 villages in rainfed areas for
increasing pulses productivity and strengthening
market linkages.
Accelerated Pulses
Production
Programme (A3P)
2007-08
to demonstrate plant nutrient and plant
protection & improved technologies and
management practices in compact blocks for
five major pulse crops
Initiative on
Vegetable Clusters
2011-12
To create efficient supply chain for ensuring
availability of quality vegetables at competitive
prices.
Food based interventions in Agriculture Sector
Schemes
Launching
year
National Mission for
Protein Supplements
Major activities
To promote animal based protein production
through livestock development, dairy farming,
piggery, goat rearing and fisheries in selected
blocks.
Initiative for
Nutritional Security
through Intensive
Millets Promotion
2011-12
Besides increasing production of millets, the
scheme through processing and value addition
techniques is expected to generate consumer
demand for millet based food products having
better nutritional values.
Rainfed Area
Development
Programme
2011-12
To improve the quality of life of small & marginal
farmers through integrated farming ( crop,
horticulture, livestock, fishery, agro-forestry) to
maximize the farm returns
Promotion of Oil Palm
2010-11
To achieve a major breakthrough in vegetable oil
production.
RECOMMENDATIONS & STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
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Multi-sectoral convergent action: the different sectors have to break the silos and
work in a coordinated manner.
To implement the decisions & putting in place the institutional arrangements of the
PM’s National Council on addressing India’s Nutrition challenges.
Strengthening of institutional capacity, linkages, partnerships and voluntary action
groups.
Establishment of Nationwide Nutrition Surveillance system and expanding it to the
other states
Food supplementation programmes like SNP under ICDS, MDM need to be
strengthened and effective coordination need to be maintained.
Strengthening ICDS along with its delivery mechanisms.
Both the direct and indirect interventions need to be addressed through multi-sectoral
approaches.
Thrust should be given on prevention & life cycle approach. It is important to
understand the nutritional needs and the vulnerabilities at different stages of life.
Effective training and capacity building should be provided through improved
collaboration and linkages.
A comprehensive approach need to be adopted to combat micronutrient deficiencies.
Emphasis should be given on IYCF practices and its dissemination.
Vigorous public education and advocacy initiative should be carried out to tackle
malnutrition.