Fortifying Nutrition
Context: Global Hunder Index 2021 ranked India 101st among 116 Countries, placing it below its neighbours like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal
The Government of India has decided to supply fortifying rice across the country in Phases by 2024 to address Malnutrition which is defying all bids to mitigate it
Though the distribution of highly subsidised and free food grains to a sizeable section of the people has managed to banish stark hunger and starvation deaths, undernourishment and imbalanced nutrition are still rampant and in fact, growing.
National Family Health Survey Highlights
- Anaemic women in the age group of 15-49 age group has gone up from 53% in 2015-2016 to 57% in 2019-20
- The count of Under-five children suffering from the deficiency of iron and other essential nutritions aha s soared to 67.1%, clocking an annual rise of almost 8% during this period
- Such Nutritional disorders affect the physical and mental health of children, resulting in a high incidence of "stunting" and "wasting"
- The scheme to supply iron-doped rice decided by the Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs (CCEA) will reduce stunting and wasting among kids by 2 % and Anaemia in teenage as well as in Pregnant women by 9%
- Government is planning to supply this rice through Targeted Public Distribution System(TPDS)
- The Integrated child development Programme, Midday meal scheme and other welfare programs will be crucial in tackling the malnutrition issue
