- Prelims: Current events of national importance(Different social service Schemes,micronutrients, Anemia FAO, GHI, NFHS-5, POSHAN, ICDS, Mid-day meal scheme etc)
- Mains GS Paper I & II: Social empowerment, development and management of social sectors/services related to Health.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
- National Family Health Survey-5 data shows that every second Indian woman is anemic, every third child is stunted and malnourished, and every fifth child is wasted.
- According to an FAO Food Security Report for 2021, India ranks 101 out of 116 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2021.
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context
Malnutrition:
- Malnutrition is the condition that develops when the body is deprived of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients it needs to maintain healthy tissues and organ function.
- Malnutrition occurs in people who are either undernourished or over nourished.
Micronutrients:
- Micronutrients are nutrients that are required by the body in lesser amounts for its growth and development.
- They play a major role in the metabolic activities of the body.
- These include vitamins and minerals.
Status of malnutrition:
- FAO Food Security Report for 2021: India ranks 101 out of 116 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2021
- 15.3(fifteen point three)% undernourished population
- stunted children (30%)
- wasted children (17.3(seventeen point three)%).
- Global Nutrition Report 2021: Stunting among children in India is significantly higher than the Asian average of 21.8(twenty one point eight)%.
Steps taken by countries:
- Developed countries and high-income countries have successfully tackled the issue of malnutrition through food fortification.
- Low-and middle-income countries, such as India, have pursued food fortification lately.
Food Fortification:
- It is the process of adding nutrients to food.
- Examples:
- rice and wheat are fortified with iron, folic acid and vitamin B 12
- Salt fortified with iron and iodine.
The rice programme and anemia:
- Pilot projects on the distribution of fortified rice: In selected States, including Maharashtra, as part of a targeted Public Distribution programme for the masses.
Results:
- Preventing cases of anemia: from 58.9(fifty eight point nine)% to 29.5(twenty nine point five)% (within two years).
Impact:
- The health benefits accruing from food fortification have made:
- 80 countries framed laws for the fortification of cereal flour
- 130 countries with iodised salt
- 13 countries have mandated rice fortification.
- The study found a promising reduction–29.5(twenty nine point five)%) in the prevalence of anemia among women, adolescent girls and children
Anemia:
- The condition of having lower than normal number of red blood cells or quantity of hemoglobin.
- It can make one feel tired, cold, dizzy, and irritable and short of breath, among other symptoms.
- A diet which does not contain enough iron, folic acid or vitamin B12 is a common cause of anemia.
Noon meal scheme in Gujarat:
- Multiple micronutrient fortified rice intervention for schoolchildren (six-12 years) in 2018-2019(part of Midday Meal Scheme:
- Increased hemoglobin concentration
- 10% reduction in anemia prevalence
- improved average cognitive scores (by 11.3(eleven point three)%).
Iron deficiency anemia:
- It is a common cause of too few healthy red blood cells in the body (anemia).
- In a pregnant woman: iron deficiency puts the baby at risk of developmental delays.
- World Health Organization (WHO): Iron deficiency anemia is responsible for 6(three point six)% of disability-adjusted life years or DALYs (years of life lost due to premature mortality and years lived with disability).
PM POSHAN:
Way Forward
- According to NITI Aayog (based on WHO meta-analysis on the impact of rice fortification): A rice fortification budget of around ₹2,800 crore per year can save 35% of the total DALYs per year with no known risk of toxicity.
- Rice fortification(costs less than 1% of the food subsidy bill (2018-19): It has the potential to prevent 94 million anemia cases.
- Despite the programme’s proven efficacy: activists have expressed concern that excess iron overload from fortified rice has been dangerous for Jharkhand’s tribal population suffering from sickle cell anemia and thalassaemia.
- It need to be addressed through proper research.
- Reduction of micronutrient deficiency: Given its proven efficacy and cost-effectiveness, food fortification can help us in reducing micronutrient deficiencies and address overall health benefits.
- The intervention, carried out with precautions: It is the key to the malnutrition issue which the nation continues to grapple with.
- Poor nutrition: There is an urgent need to address the maladies that poor nutrition can inflict on the masses, especially given the diverse populations in India.
- Getting schemes right: It requires greater involvement of local government and local community groups in the design and delivery of tailored nutrition interventions.
- Child nutrition: The need of the hour is to make addressing child malnutrition the top priority of the government machinery, and all year around
QUESTION FOR PRACTICE
Q. Can the vicious cycle of gender inequality, poverty and malnutrition be broken through microfinancing of women SHGs? Explain with examples.(UPSC 2021) (200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)
