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| Indian National Nutrition Mission | |
|---|---|
| Name | Indian National Nutrition Mission |
| Formation | 2017 |
| Type | Government programme |
| Headquarters | New Delhi |
| Region served | India |
| Parent organization | Ministry of Women and Child Development |
Indian National Nutrition Mission.
The National Nutrition Mission was launched in 2017 as a flagship initiative to address malnutrition, stunting, wasting, and anemia across India. It sought to integrate efforts from ministries and institutions such as the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, NITI Aayog, and United Nations Children's Fund to accelerate progress under agendas like the Sustainable Development Goals and commitments made at the World Health Assembly. The programme aimed to strengthen delivery through existing structures including Integrated Child Development Services, National Health Mission, and state-level bodies such as the Government of Maharashtra and Government of Tamil Nadu.
The Mission emerged against a backdrop of persistent malnutrition evidenced in surveys like the National Family Health Survey and reports by organizations including the World Bank and World Health Organization. High prevalence of stunting, wasting, and micronutrient deficiencies was documented across states such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan, prompting policy responses modeled on multisectoral frameworks used in countries like Brazil and Bangladesh. Historical programmes including the Mid-Day Meal Scheme and Public Distribution System provided context for integrated nutrition strategies aligned with India's commitments under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The stated objectives included reduction of stunting, undernutrition, anemia, and low birth weight, and improvement in service delivery for pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children under six. Targets reflected indicators from the Sustainable Development Goals and the World Health Assembly global nutrition targets. Geographic scope covered rural and urban districts across states and union territories including Delhi, Karnataka, and West Bengal, with differentiated focus in high-burden districts such as those in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.
Governance architecture placed the Ministry of Women and Child Development at the center with state and district-level convergence committees drawing from Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, and Ministry of Rural Development. Implementation relied on frontline workers like Anganwadi Workers under the Integrated Child Development Services and Accredited Social Health Activists under the National Health Mission. Technical partnerships involved institutions such as the Indian Council of Medical Research, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and international agencies including United Nations Children's Fund and World Food Programme. Monitoring integrated digital platforms inspired by models like Digital India and district dashboards used in Kerala.
Interventions combined nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive actions: promotion of breastfeeding and complementary feeding aligned with guidelines from the Indian Academy of Pediatrics; micronutrient supplementation reflecting protocols from the National Institute of Nutrition; growth monitoring using standards from the World Health Organization; and capacity building through training curricula developed with entities such as the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development. Linkages with schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, Integrated Child Development Services, and the Mahila Shakti Kendra aimed to address social determinants while leveraging platforms like Primary Health Centres and Community Health Centres.
Monitoring employed real-time data systems and indicators comparable to global frameworks used by World Health Organization and UNICEF. Evaluations and impact assessments were conducted by agencies including NITI Aayog, independent research organizations like the Indian Council of Medical Research, and academic centers at institutions such as Tata Institute of Social Sciences and Jawaharlal Nehru University. Reported outcomes showed mixed results: some districts registered reductions in stunting analogous to successes in Kerala and Himachal Pradesh, while other high-burden regions mirrored slow progress noted in analyses by the World Bank and research groups at Institute for Human Development.
Funding combined central allocations from the Union Budget administered by the Ministry of Women and Child Development with supplementary state contributions and support from multilateral partners like the World Bank and UNICEF in select initiatives. Resource allocation prioritized high-impact interventions in vulnerable districts identified through surveys such as the National Family Health Survey and financing instruments referenced in reports by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. Fiscal mechanisms interacted with schemes under the Ministry of Rural Development and subsidies delivered via platforms like the Public Distribution System.
Critiques highlighted issues in convergence across departments including Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Women and Child Development, data quality concerns similar to debates around the National Family Health Survey, and constraints affecting frontline workers such as Anganwadi Workers and Accredited Social Health Activists. Academic critiques from institutions like Jawaharlal Nehru University and policy reviews by NITI Aayog called for reforms in financing, governance, and community engagement, echoing lessons from international experiences in Brazil and Ethiopia. Reforms proposed included stronger legislative backing akin to rights-based frameworks like the Right to Food movement, enhanced role for local governments such as Panchayati Raj Institutions, and expanded partnerships with civil society organizations including Self Employed Women's Association and Pratham.
Category:Nutrition in India