The Indian government is launching the Nutrition Smart Village programme, a key initiative to strengthen Poshan Abhiyan. Being part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, this program celebrates the 75th year of India’s independence. The main focus of this initiative is to enhance nutritional awareness, education, and adapt behavioural changes in rural areas.
Overview of the Nutrition Smart Village Initiative
The Nutrition Smart Village initiative is aligned with the Indian Prime Minister’s mandate to adopt and transform 75 villages. Collaborating with All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) centres and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research – Central Institute for Women in Agriculture (ICAR-CIWA), the program aims to adopt a total of 75 villages. The goal is to harness traditional knowledge to combat malnutrition via local recipes, implement nutrition-sensitive agriculture through homestead agriculture, and create Nutri-gardens.
Understanding Poshan Abhiyan and Its Successor Poshan 2.0
Poshan Abhiyan, also known as the National Nutrition Mission, was launched to commemorate International Women’s Day on 8th March 2018. It set targets to reduce stunting, undernutrition, anemia, and low birth weight at a pace of 2%, 2%, 3%, and 2% per annum, respectively. Additionally, the program had set out to cut down stunting among children aged 0-6 years from 38.4% to 25% by 2022.
Recently, the Ministry for Women and Child Development launched Poshan 2.0. Under this new phase, all Aspirational Districts were urged to establish a Poshan Vatika (nutrition garden) during the Nutrition Month (Poshan Mah) beginning 1st September, 2021.
Examining the Malnutrition Scenario in India
Despite considerable efforts and numerous investments, malnutrition rates among Indian children remain concerning. According to the 2021 Global Hunger Index, India ranks at a disappointing 101st spot among 116 countries on parameters such as population undernourishment, child stunting, wasting, and mortality.
Alarming data from the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (2019-2021) shows that out of the 22 surveyed states, only nine reported a decline in stunted children, ten in wasted children, and six had a reduction in underweight children. Child and maternal malnutrition is responsible for 15% of India’s total disease burden.
Research indicates that spending USD 1 on nutritional interventions in India could generate between USD 34.1 to 38.6 in public economic returns, which is thrice the global average. Child malnutrition has been a significant contributor to India’s loss of up to 4% of its GDP and up to 8% of its productivity.
Other Governmental Initiatives Related to Nutrition
In addition to the Nutrition Smart Village initiative, other government initiatives are also in place to tackle malnutrition in India. These include Anemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN), The National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), and the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS).
These diverse initiatives underline the government’s commitment to improving nutrition levels in the country and lowering disease burden caused by malnutrition.
