The problem of malnutrition is multi-dimensional and inter-generational in nature, the determinants of which include household food insecurity, illiteracy and lack of awareness especially in women, access to health services, availability of safe drinking water, sanitation and proper environmental conditions and adequate purchasing power etc. The nutritional status of the population is the outcome of complex and inter-related set of factors and cannot be improved by the efforts of single sector or action alone.
The Government accords high priority to the overall issue of malnutrition, particularly, in respect of children, adolescent girls and women and has been implementing several schemes/ programmes of different Ministries/Departments through State Governments/UTs. These schemes, interalia, include Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), Mid Day Meals Scheme, Drinking Water & Total Sanitation Campaign, Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY), Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS), Targeted Public Distribution System etc. Several of the schemes namely, ICDS, NRHM, Mid Day meal (MDM), SGSY have been expanded to provide for increased coverage and improved services to the people.
To reach out the six services including supplementary nutrition to children below six years, pregnant and lactating mothers the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme has been universalised with special focus on SC/ST and minority habitation. There has been revision in cost norms as well as the Nutritional and Feeding norms of the Supplementary Nutrition component of ICDS.
No comments:
Post a Comment