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As part of the government’s effort to fight the malnutrition problem in India, the Government of India launched the Poshan Abhiyaan, also known as the National Nutrition Mission (NNM), in 2018 (even though the program had been implemented in 2017).
National Nutrition Mission Objectives:
- The main target of the mission is to diminish the degree of under-sustenance and furthermore improve the nourishing status of youngsters in the country.
- The mission is a multi-ecclesiastical drive and targets eliminating the lack of healthy sustenance from the country by 2022.
- Poshan Abhiyaan is India’s lead plan to work on the nourishing results of youths, youngsters, pregnant ladies, and lactating moms.
- The mission uses innovation and union between different modules and divisions.
- The term ‘Poshan’ for the sake of the program means ‘Head of the state’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition.
- The program has explicit focuses for lessening hindering, sickliness, under-sustenance, and low birth weight.
- As indicated by ‘Mission 25 by 2020’, the National Nutrition Mission intends to accomplish a decrease in hindering from 38.4% to 25% by 2022.
- The mission likewise includes planning of different plans connected with unhealthiness and empowering cooperative energies through ICT-based ongoing observing framework, a hearty combination between the plans, boosting states and UTs for meeting the set targets, and enhancing Anganwadi focuses’ working, aside from leading social reviews.
- These different plans incorporate the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), Janani Suraksha Yojana, Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG), Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, PDS, National Health Mission, and so on.
- For Anganwadi focuses, the mission imagines the accompanying:
- Giving motivators to Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) for utilizing IT-based devices.
- Disposal of registers utilized by AWWs.
- Estimating the tallness of youngsters at Anganwadi focuses.
- One more part of the mission is the steady increase of the mediations under the World Bank helped Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Systems.
- The carrying out organization is the Ministry of Women and Child Development, GOI.
- The NITI Aayog additionally assumes a crucial part in the mission. The National Council on India’s Nutritional Challenges, which has been set up under the Poshan Abhiyaan, has the Vice Chairperson of NITI Aayog as its Chairperson.
- The committee is likewise called the National Council on Nutrition or NCN.
- The NCN offers strategy bearings to address healthful difficulties and survey programs for something similar.
- It is a public-level coordination and union body on sustenance.
National Nutrition Mission Features:
- The POSHAN Abhiyaan, as an apex body, will monitor, supervise, fix targets and guide the nutrition related interventions across the Ministries.
- The proposal consists of
- Mapping of various Schemes contributing towards addressing malnutrition
- Incentivizing Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) for using IT based tools
- Introducing a very robust convergence mechanism
- Eliminating registers used by AWWs
- ICT based Real Time Monitoring system
- Social Audits
- Incentivizing States/UTs for meeting the targets
- Introducing measurement of height of children at the Anganwadi Centres (AWCs)
- Setting-up Nutrition Resource Centres, involving masses through Jan Andolan for their participation on nutrition through various activities, among others
National Nutrition Mission Targets:
The National Nutrition Mission aims at achieving the following:
- Reduce low birth weight by 2% annually.
- Reduce stunting by 2% annually.
- Reduce anaemia by 3% annually.
- Reduce under-nutrition by 2% annually.
Impact of Covid-19 on Malnutrition
- Covid-19 is pushing millions into poverty, reducing incomes of many more and disproportionately affecting the economically disadvantaged, who are also most vulnerable to malnutrition and food insecurities.
- Also, pandemic-prompted lockdowns disrupted essential services- such as supplementary feeding under Anganwadi centres, mid-day meals, immunisation, and micro-nutrient supplementation which exacerbated malnutrition. Read in detail about Malnutrition, its types and impact on the linked page.
Candidates can go through the following links to prepare comprehensively for the civil services exam –
| Nutrition and India – UPSC Notes (GS I) | Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS) | Poverty and Hunger |
| National Nutrition Strategy 2017 of NITI Aayog | Global Hunger Index | Nutrient Based Subsidy Scheme |
| Global Nutrition Report | National Health Mission | Food Security of India – Food Subsidy Delivery, Challenges |
| Poverty Alleviation Programmes in India – Complete List | Zero Hunger Program | Causes of Poverty – A Multidimensional Challenge |
| Difference between Absolute Poverty and Relative Poverty | World Health Organisation (WHO) | Eat Right India Movement |
| Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) | National Family Health Survey | Pradhan Mantri Matritva Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) |
| Mega Food Parks | National Food Security Act, 2013 | NFSA | Farmer Producer Organizations |
| Child Health Programmes | World Food Programme (WFP) | Hidden Hunger: Causes and Steps taken for Mitigation |
| FAO – Food and Agriculture Organisation | PM Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme | Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana |
Poshan Abhiyaan Pillars:
The government has named the following as the pillars of the National Nutrition Mission-
- ICDS-CAS (common application software)
- incentives
- training and capacity building
- innovations
- grievance redressal
- behavioral change, IEC advocacy
- convergence
Rashtriya Poshan Maah:
As part of this initiative, the month of September is observed as a Poshan Maah each year. A number of activities are organized to spread nutrition awareness within the community. Here, the emphasis is on Social Behaviour Change and Communication (SBCC).
Here, we cover a small piece of information about the National Nutrition Mission. For more information visit the National Nutrition Mission official website. Stay tuned to get notified about the other Government Schemes.