Plans for food fortification, onspot feeding to fight malnutrition

The union ministry of woman and child development has identified 113 districts across the country, where malnutrition is prevalent; of these two are in Rajasthan.

Integrated child development services director Suchi Sharma said that last month at a meeting in Delhi Banswara and Dholpur in Rajasthan were identified as districts were malnutrition is prevalent and efforts are being made to address the situation.

She said that children here are anaemic, underweight and suffer from stunted growth and women of reproductive age have anaemia in these two districts and roadmap will be prepared to improve the condition. “It’s often said that India has the world’s largest youth population, but an ailing young population will not be productive and will affect the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country,” Sharma said.

The department is mulling various suggestions and plans to combat malnutrition in these districts, including food fortification and on-spot feeding of pregnant women. “There are plans to provide biofortified wheat, double fortified salt (iron and iodine) along with on-spot feeding of pregnant women at anganwari centres, like providing mid-day meal,” she said.

On a pilot basis, pregnant women and lactating mothers are being given ‘take-home ration’ of nutritious supplement for a month at one go instead of once a week in Banswara district.

Apart from this, boys aged 24-25, who have been recently married, are being told about the nutrition aspect of mother and child. These youth are told that their pregnant wife needs nutritious food and better care; otherwise, the child will be born weak. Similarly, there is a tradition of pregnant women going to their parents’ house for delivery, so mothers are made aware about the importance of nutrition, the official said.

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