Q. Which of the following are the objectives of ‘National Nutrition Mission’?

  1. To create awareness relating to malnutrition among pregnant women and lactating mothers.
  2. To reduce the incidence of anemia among young children, adolescent girls and women.
  3. To promote the consumption of millets, coarse cereals and unpolished rice.
  4. To promote the consumption of poultry eggs.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

  • 1 and 2 only
  • 1, 2 and 3 only
  • 1, 2 and 4 only
  • 3 and 4 only

Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only

POSHAN Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission):
  • POSHAN Abhiyaan (erstwhile National Nutrition Mission) was launched in March 2018 to achieve improvement in nutritional status of Children from 0-6 years, Adolescent Girls, Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers in a time bound manner and to achieve reduction in stunting and wasting in children (0-6 years) as well as reduction in anemia in women, children and adolescent girls.
  • The mission also encompasses mapping of various other schemes related to malnutrition and enabling synergies through ICT-based real-time monitoring system, robust convergence between the schemes, incentivising states and UTs for meeting the set targets, and optimising Anganwadi centres’ functioning, apart from conducting social audits.
    • These other schemes include the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), Janani Suraksha Yojana, Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG), Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, PDS, National Health Mission, etc.
    • For Anganwadi centres, the mission envisages the following:
      •  Giving incentives to Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) for using IT-based tools.
      • Elimination of registers used by AWWs.
      • Measuring the height of children at Anganwadi centres.
  • Another component of the mission is the gradual scaling up of the interventions under the World Bank-assisted Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Systems.
  • The implementing agency is the Ministry of Women and Child Development, GOI. 
  • The NITI Aayog also plays a pivotal role in the mission. The National Council on India’s Nutritional Challenges, which has been set up under the Poshan Abhiyaan, has the Vice Chairperson of NITI Aayog as its Chairperson.
    • The council is also called the National Council on Nutrition or NCN.
    • The NCN offers policy directions to address nutritional challenges and review programmes for the same.
    • It is a national-level coordination and convergence body on nutrition.
  • Target to reduce malnutrition: The mission, has a target to reduce under-nutrition and low birth-weight by 2% each year. It will strive to achieve reduction in stunting from 38.4% as per the National Family Health Survey-4 to 25% by 2022. NNM targets to reduce stunting, under-nutrition, anemia (among young children, women and adolescent girls) and reduce low birth weight by 2%, 2%, 3% and 2% per annum respectively.
  • Anaemia targets: It also aims to bring down anaemia among young children, women and adolescent girls by 3% per year.