More Than 35% of Children in Delhi Slums are Malnourished: Survey

A survey conducted by National Family Health has found that 35.3% children under the age of 5 years in Delhi slums suffer from malnutrition. The problem of malnutrition is a multifaceted and multi sectoral in nature. The Government is implementing several schemes which have an impact on the nutritional status of the people.

The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development through State Governments/UT Administration. The Scheme provides a package of six services namely supplementary nutrition, pre-school non-formal education, nutrition & health education, immunization, health check-up and referral services.  Three of the services namely immunization, health check-up and referral services are delivered through the public health system of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.  

The Government has recently taken various steps which include universalisation of the scheme with special focus on SC/ST and minority habitations, revision in cost norms as well as the Nutritional and Feeding norms of the Supplementary Nutrition component of ICDS.  In addition, Government has introduced provision of flexi fund at Anganwadi centre level and new World Health Organisation (WHO) Growth Standards for growth monitoring.

There are 11150 sanctioned AWCs of which 6606 are functional in Delhi mostly in urban slums and rural areas. The number of enrolled children below 6 years in these AWCs as reported by the Delhi Government is 969811.  

Besides the ICDS programme, Government is implementing a number of other schemes throughout the country, which directly or indirectly affect the nutritional status of women and children. Some of these are as follows:

• Reproductive & Child Health Programme under the National Rural Health Mission being implemented by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has interventions which include Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) to promote institutional deliveries, Immuzation; Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illness; Specific Programmes to prevent and combat micronutrient deficiencies of Vitamin A and Iron & Folic Acid through Vitamin A Supplementation for children till the age of 5 years and Iron & Folic acid Supplementation for infants, preschool children, adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women.

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• Iodised salt is being provided for combating Iodine Deficiency Disorders.

• Mid-Day Meal programme of Department of School Education and Literacy.

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• SABLA yojana of Ministry of Women and Child Development.

• Availability of essential food items at subsidized cost through Targeted Public        Distribution System, Antodaya Anna Yojna by the Department of Food & Consumer Affairs.

• Provision of safe drinking water and sanitation under the National Drinking water                         

• Programme Total Sanitation Campaign of Ministry of Rural Development and under

• Jawahar Lal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission in urban areas.

• Other employment and income generation schemes such as Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS), Swaranjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojna (SGSY) Swarna Jayanthi Shahri Rozgar Yojna (SJSRY), Swadhar STEP scheme etc.

This information was given by Smt. Krishna Tirath, Minister of State for Women and Child Development (Independent Charge) in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

Source-PIB