Parliament Question: Child Malnutrition and Mortality

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2224 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.12.2025 CHILD MALNUTRITION AND MORTALITY

2224. SHRI PRADYUT BORDOLOI:

Will the Minister of Women and Child Development be pleased to state:

(a) the most recent Poshan Tracker Data available on prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight among children (0-5 years), State-wise;

(b) the most recent Sample Registration System (SRS) data available on neonatal mortality rate and under -five mortality rate, State-wise;

(c) the details of the measures being taken by the Government since 2020 under POSHAN Abhiyaan/related schemes to reduce chronic under-nutrition and child mortality, including programme interventions, financial allocations along with the progress achieved therein so far in Assam;

(d) whether the Government proposes to replicate successful nutritional/health practices observed in low-burden North-Eastern States in Assam, if so, the details thereof along with the outcomes expected within the current plan period and if not, the reasons therefor; and

(e) whether the Government has identified any unique challenges in said State leading to child malnutrition and mortality, if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR)

(a): The most recent data on prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight among children (0-5 years), State-wise, is available at: https://www.poshantracker.in/statistics

(b): Details on Neo Natal Mortality and Under Five Mortality as per the Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2023 are placed at Annexure I and II.(c) to (e): Poshan Abhiyaan was launched in 2018, an overarching scheme for holistic nourishment to improve nutritional outcomes for children, adolescents, pregnant women and lactating mothers. Further, to address the challenge of malnutrition, Anganwadi services, Poshan Abhiyaan and Scheme for Adolescent girls (of 14-18 years in Aspirational Districts and North-Eastern region) have been subsumed under the umbrella Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0). It is a Centrally Sponsored Mission where the responsibility for implementation of various activities lies with the States and UTs. This Mission is a universal self-selecting umbrella scheme where there are no entry barriers for any beneficiary to register and receive services. This Mission is being implemented across the country including all the North-Eastern States. The objectives of Mission are as follows:

• To contribute to development of human capital in the country; • Address challenge of malnutrition; • Promote nutrition awareness and good eating habits for sustainable health and wellbeing Under Mission Poshan 2.0 a new strategy has been made for reduction in malnutrition and for improved health, wellness and immunity through activities like community engagement, outreach, behavioural change and advocacy. It focuses on Maternal Nutrition, Infant and Young Child Feeding Norms, treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM)/ Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) and wellness through AYUSH practices to reduce prevalence of wasting, stunting, anaemia and being underweight.

Under this Mission, Supplementary Nutrition is provided to Children (6 months to 6 years), Pregnant Women, Lactating Mothers and Adolescent Girls to beat the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition by adopting a life cycle approach. Supplementary nutrition is provided in accordance with the nutrition norms contained in Schedule-II of the National Food Security Act, 2013. These norms have been revised in January 2023. The old norms were largely calorie-specific; however, the revised norms are more comprehensive and balanced in terms of both quantity and quality of supplementary nutrition based on the principles of diet diversity that provides for quality protein, healthy fats and micronutrients (Calcium, Zinc, Iron, Dietary Folate, Vitamin A, Vitamin-B6 and Vitamin B-12).

Further, Fortified rice is being supplied to AWCs to meet the requirement of micro-nutrients and to control anaemia among women and children. Greater emphasis is being laid on the use of millets at least once a week for preparation of Hot Cooked Meal and Take-Home ration at Anganwadi Centers.

Under this Mission, one of the major activities undertaken is Community Mobilization and Awareness Advocacy to educate people on nutritional aspects as adoption of good nutrition habit requires sustained efforts for behavioural change. State and UTs are conducting and reporting regular sensitisation activities under Jan Andolans during Poshan Maahs and Poshan Pakhwadas celebrated in the months of September and March-April respectively. Community Based Events (CBEs) have served as a significant strategy in changing nutritional practices and all Anganwadi workers are required to conduct two Community Based Events every month.

Poshan Tracker an ICT tool has been implemented for monitoring and tracking of all AWCs, AWWs and beneficiaries on defined indicators. Technology under Poshan Tracker is beingleveraged for dynamic identification of stunting, wasting, under-weight prevalence among children. It has facilitated near real time data collection for Anganwadi Services such as, daily attendance, ECCE, Delivery of Hot Cooked Meal (HCM)/Take Home Ration (THR-not raw ration), Growth Measurement etc. The App also offers counselling videos on key behaviours and services which help disseminate messages on birth preparedness, delivery, post-natal care, breastfeeding, and complementary feeding.

For last mile tracking of Service Delivery, Ministry of Women and Child Development

(MWCD) has developed Facial Recognition System (FRS) for distribution of Take-Home Ration to ensure that benefit is given only to the intended beneficiary registered in Poshan Tracker.

A total of 2 lakh Anganwadi Centres have been approved to be upgraded as Saksham Anganwadis for improved nutrition delivery and for imparting early childhood care and development. Saksham Anganwadis are provided with better infrastructure than the conventional Anganwadi Centres which includes internet/Wi-Fi connectivity, LED screens, water purifier/installation of RO Machine and smart learning equipments. A total of 5,407 Anganwadi Centres have been sanctioned for upgradation to Saksham Anganwadi Centres in the States of Assam.

Under the Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi (PBPB) initiative, the Ministry is imparting training to all the officials and field functionaries in the States/ UTs through a cascading model of training, wherein Master Trainers (namely, District Officers, Block Coordinators and Supervisors) are trained, and the master trainers further train all Anganwadi Workers in the field. As on 30th November 2025, 8,95,814 AWWs have been trained across the country. A total of 39,882 Anganwadi Workers have been trained in the State of Assam under this initiative.

Ministries of Women & Child Development and Health & Family Welfare have jointly released the protocol for Community Management of Malnutrition (CMAM) to prevent and treat severely acute malnutrition in children and for reducing associated morbidity and mortality.

Besides above efforts, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is implementing Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) strategy in a life cycle approach under National Health Mission (NHM), which includes interventions to address malnutrition and anaemia across all States/UTs in the country. One of the interventions is Anaemia Mukt Bharat. To address nutritional deficiencies among children across the country, including in the State of Assam, following interventions are implemented

by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: • Mothers’ Absolute Affection (MAA) Programme is implemented to improve breastfeeding coverage which includes early initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding for first six months followed by counselling on age-appropriate complementary feeding practices.• Nutrition Rehabilitation Centers (NRCs) are set up at public health facilities to provide in-patient medical and nutritional care to children under 5 years suffering from Severe Acute Malnourishment (SAM) with medical complications with special focus on improving the skills of mothers and caregivers on timely, adequate and appropriate feeding for children.

• Under Anaemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) strategy prophylactic Iron Folic Acid supplementation as biweekly IFA syrup is provided to children (6-59 months) across all States/UTs. • Lactation Management Centres: Lactation Management Units (LMU) are facilities established to ensure the availability of Mother’s Own Milk or Donor Human Milk for feeding of sick, preterm and low birth weight babies admitted in Intensive Care Units.

• Under National Deworming Day (NDD) albendazole tablets are administered in a single fixed day approach via schools and Anganwadi centres in two rounds (February and August) to reduce the soil transmitted helminth (STH) infestation among all children (1-19 years).

• Vitamin A Supplementation programme is implemented to administer biannual Vitamin A supplementation to all children below five years of age (9-59 months). • Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Days (VHSNDs) are observed for provision of maternal and child health services and creating awareness on maternal and childcare including nutrition in convergence with Ministry of Women and Child Development.

The financial allocation done for Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Mission Poshan 2.0 in Assam is placed at Annexure III. *****Annexure I ANNEXURE REFERRED IN REPLY TO PART (b) OF LOK SABHA QUESTION NO.

2224 FOR 12.12.2025 REGARDING “CHILD MALNUTRITION AND MORTALITY” ASKED BY SHRI PRADYUT BORDOLOI The State wise details of Neo-natal mortality (deaths of live-born infants within the first 28 completed days of life), as per the Sample Registration System (SRS) Report 2023 (based on three-year period 2021–23) of Registrar General of India is as follows:

States Neo Natal Mortality Rate Total India 19 Andhra Pradesh 16 Assam 21 Bihar 18 Chhattisgarh 26 Delhi 9 Gujarat 15 Haryana 19 Himachal Pradesh 11 Jammu & Kashmir 10 Jharkhand 20 Karnataka 11 Kerala 4 Madhya Pradesh 27 Maharashtra 11 Odisha 21 Punjab 12 Rajasthan 21 Tamil Nadu 9 Telangana 14 Uttar Pradesh 26 Uttarakhand 14 West Bengal 13 The data is available for India and bigger States/UTs with population of 10 million and above.Annexure II ANNEXURE REFERRED IN REPLY TO PART (b) OF LOK SABHA QUESTION NO.

2224 FOR 12.12.2025 REGARDING “CHILD MALNUTRITION AND MORTALITY” ASKED BY SHRI PRADYUT BORDOLOI The State wise details of Under-five mortality (i.e. the probability that a child born in a given year will die before reaching age 5, expressed per 1,000 live births), as per the Sample Registration System (SRS) Report 2023 (based on three-year period 2021–23) of Registrar

General of India is as follows:

States Under Five Mortality Rate Total India 29 Andhra Pradesh 21 Assam 33 Bihar 27 Chhattisgarh 41 Delhi 16 Gujarat 23 Haryana 30 Himachal Pradesh 17 Jammu & Kashmir 15 Jharkhand 32 Karnataka 17 Kerala 8 Madhya Pradesh 44 Maharashtra 16 Odisha 35 Punjab 22 Rajasthan 34 Tamil Nadu 13 Telangana 22 Uttar Pradesh 42 Uttarakhand 23 West Bengal 18 The data is available for India and bigger States/UTs with population of 10 million and above.Annexure III ANNEXURE REFERRED IN REPLY TO PART (c) OF LOK SABHA QUESTION NO.

2224 FOR 12.12.2025 REGARDING “CHILD MALNUTRITION AND MORTALITY” ASKED BY SHRI PRADYUT BORDOLOI The detail of funds released to the State of Assam under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 is as follows:

Rupees in Crore Name of the FY 2019- FY 2020- FY 2021- FY 2022- FY 2023- FY 2024- States/UT 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Assam 1,365.53 1,109.75 1,319.90 1,651.63 2,233.31 2,482.34 *****