Government provides additional Rs.12000 Crores to tackle malnutrition

New Delhi: The Government has provided an additional Rs.12000 Crores to fight malnutrition over next three years in the country by revising cost norms for supplementary nutrition provided in anganwadis and in the scheme for adolescent girls. Briefing media persons in New Delhi today, Secretary, WCD Shri Rakesh Srivastava said that the government has effected a quantum increase of about 33% in cost norms, which have been revised for the first time since 2011 in the case of ICDS. In the case of Scheme for Adolescent Girls, cost norms have been increased first time since 2010. With this, an additional Rs.9900 Crore have been given for supplementary nutrition in anganwadis over the next three years and Rs.2276 Crores in the scheme for adolescent girls over the next three years, he explained. This reflects commitment of the government to tackle malnutrition on a war footing as reflected in Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji’s vision, Shri Srivastava said.

The cost norms have now also been linked to the Food Price Index which will enable the government to increase the cost norms annually without any hindrance.  Shri Srivastava disclosed that in the recently held national conference on malnutrition, the district collectors and district magistrates have been asked to take responsibility for eliminating malnutrition in their districts. They have been asked to review comprehensively the nutrition/helath status of children and women once in three months and also ensure 2% to 3% decline in malnutrition/stunting per year.

The WCD Secretary announced that a separate policy/protocol for Severly Acute Malnourished Children will be released at the earliest to enable States to deal with this problem effectively.

The revised Supplementary Nutrition cost norms for the beneficiaries of Anganwadi Services and for Adolescent Girls (11-14 years out of school) under the Umbrella ICDS Scheme, as approved by the Government are as under: