Recently the amount allocated for POSHAN Abhiyaan was underutilised.
The Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth Programs and Sports in its report has highlighted the issue of under-utilisation of total funds and ineffectiveness on the ground results of POSHAN Abhiyaan (Prime Minister’s Comprehensive Scheme for Holistic Nutrition) .
Only 56 per cent of the total funds released for POSHAN Abhiyaan from central funds have been utilized.
Also, no state or union territory has fully utilized its funds for POSHAN Abhiyaan.
Key Recommendations
- National Nutrition Park should be constructed with the participation of Anganwadi workers across the country on the lines of National Nutrition Park built near Statue of Unity, Gujarat.
- Awareness should be created about the use of Ayurvedic plants for health and nutrition.
- Identify the districts with maximum malnutrition population of the country and establish ‘Malnutrition Alleviation Authority’.
- A vigilant monitoring mechanism should be put in place to ensure food packets for pregnant women and lactating mothers. Also, provision of targeted meals should be made for the severely malnourished children.
- There should be effective implementation of new nutrition (POSHAN) tracker application.
- POSHAN Abhiyaan should be carried out on a war footing with active participation and concerted action by various ministries.
About Poshan Abhiyaan
- POSHAN Abhiyaan or National Nutrition Mission is the flagship program of the Government of India to improve nutritional outcomes for children, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
- The campaign aims to reduce stunting, under-nutrition and anemia (among young children, women and adolescent girls) and low birth weight by 2%, 2%, 3% and 2% per year respectively.
- It also aims to reduce stunting in children in the 0-6 age group from 38.4% to 25% by the year 2022.
- Under POSHAN 2.0, several related schemes have been incorporated to harness synergies. In addition, malnutrition hotspots are being identified and 112 aspirational districts are being given additional attention.
Source – The Hindu
