Parliament Question: Nutritional Status of Women and Children

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.991 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.07.2026 Nutritional Status of Women and Children 991. Shri Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka: Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has assessed the nutritional status of women and children in the Kalahandi- Balangir-Koraput (KBK) districts of Odisha under POSHAN 2.0, if so, the details thereof, district-wise; (b) whether the Government has reviewed vacancies of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers in Koraput and Rayagada districts, if so, the details thereof; (c) whether the Government proposes to establish additional One Stop Centres and Sakhi Niwas facilities in the tribal districts of Odisha, if so, the details thereof; (d) whether the Government has undertaken any study on trafficking and migration of tribal women and adolescent girls from southern Odisha, if so, the details thereof; and (e) whether the Government proposes special interventions for reducing anaemia, stunting/maternal mortality among Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in Koraput and neighbouring districts, if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR) (a) to (e) The status of the percentage of stunting, wasting, underweight and overweight among children as per Poshan Tracker is as follows (as on 30.06.2026): Sr. No District Children Measured S tunting W asting U nderweight O verweight 1. Kalahandi 1,12,937 22% 3% 9% 2% 2. Balangir 1,03,027 14% 1% 7% 0%3. Koraput 1,12,661 27% 3% 14% 1% Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme wherein Central Government is responsible for overall policy and planning and States/UTs are responsible for day to day programme implementation which includes timely filling up of the vacant positions at all levels for smooth functioning of the scheme. Regular VCs/meetings are held with the States/UTs to monitor the filling up of vacant positions at various levels. APIP meetings are held annually to have a thorough review of the implementation of scheme at ground level which includes monitoring of the vacant positions filled by the States/UTs and plan of action on the same. In order to streamline the process of recruitment, uniform retirement date of 30th April has been fixed for AWWs and AWHs for better resource management. The status of in-position AWWs and AWHs in Koraput and Rayagada districts as of June, 2026 is given below: District AWCs AWW in-AWH in-position Operational position Koraput 3397 3360 3060 Rayagada 2087 2061 1848 One Stop Centre: One Stop Centre (OSC) provides integrated and immediate support and assistance under one roof to women affected by violence and those in distress, both in private and public spaces all across the country including tribal districts of Odisha. It provides services like medical aid, legal aid and advice, temporary shelter, police assistance and psycho-social counselling to needy women. Till 30th June, 2026, 985 OSCs are operational in the country which have assisted over 15.80 lakh women in the country. In the State of Odisha, 35 OSCs are operational which have assisted over 48,416 women. As the scheme is demand driven, the States and UTs are encouraged to set-up at least one OSC in each district and additional OSC(s) in those districts which have higher rate of crime against women or have bigger geographical area and in aspirational districts. Sakhi Niwas Scheme: Sakhi Niwas Scheme (Working Women Hostel) under the overarching Mission Shakti, is a demand driven Centrally Sponsored Scheme, under which funds are released directly to the States/UTs for implementation of the scheme. The States/UTs assess their requirement as per local needs and proposals are approved by the Programme Approval Board (PAB) after discussion with States/UTs. The scheme aims to promote availability of safe and conveniently located accommodation for workingwomen in urban, semi-urban and also in rural areas where employment opportunity for women exists. Under the Scheme, financial assistance is provided for running of Sakhi Niwas in rented premises for working women and for those women who are under training for job. Provision of Day Care Centre for children of the residents of the Sakhi Niwas is an important aspect of the scheme. In this scheme, fund is provided for rental accommodation. Component of construction has been discontinued. Presently, 575 Sakhi Niwas are functional across the country, including 16 Sakhi Niwas in Odisha. As per National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) “Crime in India - 2024” report, 477 women were trafficked in the State of Odisha during the year 2024. To address the challenges 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. The Mission is being implemented in all States and UTs in the country including Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in Koraput and neighbouring districts of Odisha. Under this Mission, Supplementary Nutrition is provided to Children (6 months to 6 years), Pregnant Women, Lactating Mothers and Adolescent Girls 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). Extra Supplementary Nutrition is provided to Severely Acutely Malnourished (SAM) children as per National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA). Ministry vide notification dated 12th September 2022 issued Integrated Nutrition Support Programme- Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan (2.0), Rules 2022 to regulate the entitlements specified under the provisions of National Food Security Act, 2013 for every pregnant woman and lactating mother, till six months after childbirth and every child in the age group of six months to six years. To encourage diet-diversity and consumption of wholesome local produce, Poshan Vatikas have been developed at AWCs. Poshan Vatikas help to meet the important dietary diversity gap that has been repeatedly revealed in different surveys by providing different fruits, nuts, herbs, medicinal plants and vegetables round the year. The main objective of introducing the concept of Poshan Vatika is to encourage community members to cultivate local food crops in their backyards.Further, Ministry of Women & Child Development and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare have jointly released the Protocol for Management of malnutrition in Children to prevent and treat severely acute malnutrition in children and for reducing associated morbidity and mortality. The community-based approach involves timely detection and screening of children with severe acute malnutrition in the community, management for those without medical complications with wholesome, local nutritious foods at home and supportive medical care. The said protocol includes an appetite test and screening process for children aged 6 months to 6 years who are severely acute malnourished (SAM) or severely underweight (SUW). Post-screening, such children are referred to Nutrition Rehabilitation Centers (NRC) or hospital facilities for further care. 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 behavioral change. State and UTs are conducting and reporting regular sensitization activities under Jan Andolans during Poshan Maah and Poshan Pakhwada 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. A total of 10.8 crore CBEs have been conducted from 2018 to June 2026 and more than 150 crore Jan Andolan activities have been conducted since 2018 through 15 Jan Andolans. The Government of India implements Anemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) strategy to reduce prevalence of anemia among six beneficiaries age group- children (6-59 months), children (5-9 years), adolescents (10-19 years), pregnant and lactating women and in women of reproductive age group (15-49 years) in life cycle approach through implementation of six interventions via robust institutional mechanism. These six interventions include Prophylactic Iron and Folic Acid supplementation (IFA Syrup provided biweekly to Children 6-59 months, IFA Pink tablets provided to Children 5-9 years, IFA Blue tablets provided to Adolescent 1019 years, IFA Red tablets provided weekly to Women of Reproductive age group and IFA Red tablets daily for 180 days provided to pregnant women and lactating mothers), Deworming (Pregnant women provided albendazole tablet in second trimester and all children provided albendazole tablets during National Deworming Day), Intensified Behavioural Change Communication campaign, Testing for anemia and treatment as per anemia management protocols, Mandatory provision of IFA fortified food in public health programmes and Addressing non nutritional causes of anemia especially malaria, fluorosis and hemoglobinopathies. Additional interventions include digital interventions, active review and monitoring anaemic beneficiaries with follow-up by ASHA, ANM at field level and IEC activities. Regular National level reviews, along with supportive supervision visits and Common Review Mission tours of the States/UTs are undertaken to support and strengthen the nutrition interventions across the country including districts with high prevalence of anemia. The ‘Poshan Tracker’ application was rolled out as an important governance tool. The Poshan Tracker facilitates monitoring and tracking of all AWCs, AWWs and beneficiaries on defined indicators. Technology under Poshan Tracker is being leveraged for dynamic identification of stunting, wasting, underweight prevalence among children. It has facilitated near real time data collection for Anganwadi Services such as, opening ofAWCs, daily attendance of children, ECCE activities, Growth Monitoring of children, Provision of Hot Cooked Meal (HCM)/Take Home Ration (THR-not raw ration), Growth Measurement etc.The Poshan Tracker application is available here : https://www.poshantracker.in For last mile tracking of Service Delivery, Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) has developed Facial Recognition System (FRS) in Poshan Tracker Application for distribution of Take-Home Ration to ensure that benefit is given only to the intended beneficiary registered in Poshan Tracker. The Nominee Module has been introduced in Poshan Tracker to ensure uninterrupted delivery of Take-Home Ration (THR) to the beneficiaries; Pregnant Women, Lactating Mothers, and Adolescent Girls. If due to any reason, the registered beneficiary is unable to visit the Anganwadi Centre to receive their THR through FRS, she can nominate a nominee on her behalf to receive her THR. *****