The Ministry of Women & Child Development has advised the States to serve more than one meal to the children at Anganwadi Centers which should include a morning snack in the form of milk, banana/egg/seasonal fruit followed by a hot cooked meal. States have also been advised to give additional food items in the form of micro-nutrient fortified food or energy dense food to severally underweight children in the age group of 3-6 years. This was informed by Smt.Krishna Tirath, Minister of Women & Child Development to the Members of Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to her ministry, here today. She said that the Ministry has also decided to strengthen the mechanism to monitor the growth of children and lactating mothers and very soon a common Mother and Child Protection Card would be introduced for Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and National Rural Health Services (NRHS).
Stressing the need of multi pronged strategy to tackle malnutrition of children, she said that the Government has decided sanction Anganwadi on demand to provide supplementary nutrition, growth monitoring, nutrition education, immunization, pre-school education to every child under the age of six, all pregnant women and lactating mothers and all adolescent girls. She said that her ministry has requested to Health Ministry and other concerned ministries to ensure convergence in all the services being provided at Anganwadis. Similarly, intervention of the Department of Drinking Water Supply has been sought for the supply of safe drinking water and sanitation facilities at Anganwadis. The Ministry has also a proposal to bring ICDS in mission mode in order to put decision making and transfer of funds on a fast track and to bring down levels of malnutrition in a targeted manner.
Replying the suggestions of Members of Parliament regarding reliable data base on nutrition status of children, the Minister said that her ministry has requested the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to carry out health and family welfare survey every year in at least 11 high-burdened States from the angle of malnutrition. The Ministry has also suggested to include the indicators related to nutrition such as under weight in children, anemia in children, adolescent girls and pregnant women as well as consumption of iodized salt in their annual health surveys. Beside this, the Ministry of Women & Child Development has proposed to carry out a baseline survey of ICDS through an independent agency to assess the impact of the programme on the nutritional status of the children.
Participating in the discussion, Members of Parliament raised the issue of monitoring of ICDS programmes. They said public representatives should also be involved in the monitoring mechanism. Members suggested that Government should consider providing funds for construction of buildings for Anganwadis and involve women organization and punchyats in the functioning of Anganwadis. Members of Parliament participated the discussions are - Smt. Susmita Bauri, Shri Eknath M.Gaikwad, Smt. Jaishreeben Patel, Smt. Jhansi Laxmi Botcha, Shri Ananth Kumar Hedge, Smt. Kamla Devi Patle, Shri Nikhil Kumar Choudhary.
Stressing the need of multi pronged strategy to tackle malnutrition of children, she said that the Government has decided sanction Anganwadi on demand to provide supplementary nutrition, growth monitoring, nutrition education, immunization, pre-school education to every child under the age of six, all pregnant women and lactating mothers and all adolescent girls. She said that her ministry has requested to Health Ministry and other concerned ministries to ensure convergence in all the services being provided at Anganwadis. Similarly, intervention of the Department of Drinking Water Supply has been sought for the supply of safe drinking water and sanitation facilities at Anganwadis. The Ministry has also a proposal to bring ICDS in mission mode in order to put decision making and transfer of funds on a fast track and to bring down levels of malnutrition in a targeted manner.
Replying the suggestions of Members of Parliament regarding reliable data base on nutrition status of children, the Minister said that her ministry has requested the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to carry out health and family welfare survey every year in at least 11 high-burdened States from the angle of malnutrition. The Ministry has also suggested to include the indicators related to nutrition such as under weight in children, anemia in children, adolescent girls and pregnant women as well as consumption of iodized salt in their annual health surveys. Beside this, the Ministry of Women & Child Development has proposed to carry out a baseline survey of ICDS through an independent agency to assess the impact of the programme on the nutritional status of the children.
Participating in the discussion, Members of Parliament raised the issue of monitoring of ICDS programmes. They said public representatives should also be involved in the monitoring mechanism. Members suggested that Government should consider providing funds for construction of buildings for Anganwadis and involve women organization and punchyats in the functioning of Anganwadis. Members of Parliament participated the discussions are - Smt. Susmita Bauri, Shri Eknath M.Gaikwad, Smt. Jaishreeben Patel, Smt. Jhansi Laxmi Botcha, Shri Ananth Kumar Hedge, Smt. Kamla Devi Patle, Shri Nikhil Kumar Choudhary.
