Inter-Ministerial Panel on Nutrition
From Current Affairs Notes for UPSC » Editorials & In-depths » This topic
About the Panel:
The inter-ministerial panel, that recently made recommendations to improve nutrition in India, is composed of officials and scientists from:
- Ministry of Food
- Ministry of Health
- Ministry of Women and Child Development
- Ministry of Education
- Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
What are the observations on the state of nutrition?
- The panel report drew attention to the National Family Health Survey-5 findings. The survey had documented an increase in rates of child undernourishment, wasting and stunting in most of the states.
- The survey had also noted an increase in anaemia among pregnant womenand women of reproductive age. Among children (upto 5 years old), prevalence of anaemia has increased from 59% to 65%.
- At the same time, there is an increase in prevalence of obesity among children of all age groups.
- This indicates unhealthy heating habits and micronutrient deficiency in the diet.
- This trend plagues India despite the National Food Security Act being in place since 2013 and the states recording rapid economic growth.
- Currently, the persistent levels of under-nourishment is the single biggest public health issue in the country, according to the panel report.
- The panel says that this silent crisis is likely to be aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
What are the current provisions for nutritional security?
- The National Food Security Act provides nutritional standards for state-run food safety programs under its Schedule II.
- Some of these food programs include:
- Mid-day Meal Scheme
- PM Poshan– covering government and government-aided school students- at levels of lower primary classes and upper primary classes.
- Integrated Child Development Services Scheme– covering children (between 6 months and 6 years) and pregnant/lactating mothers.
- The Act quantifies nutrition per meal in terms of calories and protein content.
- When it comes to supplementary provision, the cost is borne by the states and the UTs.
- 13 states and 3 UTs serve eggs as part of ‘additional food items’ in mid-day meals. This is of differing frequencies- ranging from once a month to 5 days/ week.
- Inclusion of eggs face opposition from many religious groups and even from certain Chief Ministers.
What are the panel’s recommendations?
- The panel has called for legal backing for provision of protein-rich food items (such as eggs, nuts and legumes) as part of government food safety programs, being implemented in schools and anganwadis. This would mean a revision of Schedule II of NFSA.
- It has also called for legal backing for micronutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B12, vitamin B2, folate, iron, calcium and zinc – instead of a purely calorie-centric approach.
- For those who don’t consume eggs, the report suggests doubling the quantity of nuts and seeds.
- It has recommended new standards of kilocalories and protein per meal.
Changes:
Costs:
- The panel has worked out the cost implications of the recommendations to be 9.6 INR/ meal (excluding milk and fruits) for lower primary classes. The current cooking cost is Rs 4.97.
- Similarly, for upper primary classes, a meal would cost Rs 12.1, while the current cooking cost is Rs 7.45.
Lower Primary Classes:
| Component | Current Norms | Proposed Norms |
| Food grains | 100 g | 70 g (cereals and millets) |
| Pulses | 20 g | 25 g (pulses and legumes) |
| Vegetables | 50 g (including leafy vegetables) | 75 g (including 50 g leafy vegetables) |
| Oil/ fat | 5 g | 10 g |
| Nuts and seeds | 10 g | |
| Eggs | 50 g | |
| Accounts for: | 450 kilocalories 12 g protein | 450 kilocalories 15-20 g protein 170 mg calcium 2 mg zinc 3.5 mg iron 50 microgram folate 100 microgram vitamin A |
- In addition to this, 150 g milk and 100 g fruits have been suggested.
Upper Primary Classes:
| Component | Current Norms | Proposed Norms |
| Food grains | 150 g | 100 g (cereals and millets) |
| Pulses | 30 g | 35 g (pulses and legumes) |
| Vegetables | 75 g (including leafy vegetables) | 100 g (including 50 g leafy vegetables) |
| Oil/ fat | 7.5 g | 10 g |
| Nuts and seeds | 15 g | |
| Eggs | 50 g | |
| Accounts for: | 700 kilocalories 20 g protein | 700 kilocalories 22-25 g protein 270 mg calcium 4 mg zinc 5.5 mg iron 75 microgram folate 145 microgram vitamin A |
- In addition to this, the panel suggested 200 g milk and 100 g fruits.
Pregnant and Lactating Mothers:
| Component | Current Norms | Proposed Norms |
| Kilocalories | 600 kcal | 600 kcal |
| Protein | 18-20 g | 22-25 g |
| Calcium | 335 mg | |
| Zinc | 4 mg | |
| Iron | 7 mg | |
| Folate | 160 micrograms | |
| Vitamin A | 240 microgram |
Anganwadi Children:
6 month- 3 years old:
| Component | Current Norms | Proposed Norms |
| Kilocalories | 500 kcal | 400 kcal |
| Protein | 12-15 g | 15-20 g |
| Calcium | 135 mg | |
| Zinc | 1 mg | |
| Iron | 2 mg | |
| Folate | 35 micrograms | |
| Vitamin A | 60 microgram |
3-6 years old:
| Component | Current Norms | Proposed Norms |
| Kilocalories | 500 kcal | 400 kcal |
| Protein | 12-15 g | 15-20 g |
| Calcium | 150 mg | |
| Zinc | 1.5 mg | |
| Iron | 3 mg | |
| Folate | 40 micrograms | |
| Vitamin A | 80 microgram |
Conclusion:
The NFSA has been in force for over 9 years now. Yet, it has managed to achieve only marginal improvements in the Indian population’s nutritional status. The tweaks proposed by the panel could help improve the situation.
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