India, Aug. 7 -- The Government of India has issued a release:
The Government has undertaken several initiatives to promote the care, nutrition and welfare of pregnant women, with a focus on improving maternal health outcomes and ensuring the timely delivery of benefits to eligible beneficiaries. Under the National Health Mission (NHM), the Government of India implements various schemes and initiatives to provide healthcare, nutritional support and welfare services to pregnant women across the country. The key schemes and initiatives are as follows:
Under the Mission, Supplementary Nutrition is provided to Pregnant Women, Lactating Mothers, Children (6 months to 6 years) and Adolescent Girls in accordance with the nutrition norms prescribed under Schedule II of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013. The nutrition norms were revised in January 2023 to provide a more comprehensive and balanced supplementary nutrition package based on the principles of diet diversity, quality protein, healthy fats and essential micronutrients, including Calcium, Zinc, Iron, Dietary Folate, Vitamin A, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12. Additional supplementary nutrition is also provided to Severely Acutely Malnourished (SAM) children as per the provisions of the NFSA.
In addition to the above, under National Health Mission (NHM), the Government ensures transparency, proper implementation and timely delivery of benefits to eligible pregnant women across the country by a robust, multi-layered framework that includes review of State-wise key deliverables against approved targets during NPCC Meetings with all States/UTs, regular assessment of performance through the Output-Outcome Monitoring Framework (OOMF). In addition, annual common review Missions (CRMs) provide independent, on-ground assessments of programme implementations, health system strengthening, and progress on key indicators.
Along with these programme implementation and monitoring mechanisms, the Government has also taken measures to enhance awareness, strengthen community outreach and leverage technology to ensure effective delivery of maternal health and nutrition services. Various schemes are popularized through regular Information, Education & Communication (IEC) & Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) strategies, including mass media. Field-level workers like ANMs, ASHAs and CHOs are promoting programmes at the ground level through interpersonal communication.
Under POSHAN Abhiyan, the following measures are undertaken:
The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Smt. Anupriya Patel, stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
