Good nutrition is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle. It is a fundamental requirement for positive health, functional efficiency and productivity. Nutrition and Health are two sides of the same coin and are therefore inseparable. While good health is the ultimate objective of nutrition, nutrition is the vital component of health. Nutrition is increasingly being recognized as an important indicator of development at national and international levels. Nutritional well being of the population is considered as an economic asset and a pre-requisite for national development. It is both an input into and an output of the developmental process 1. Nutrition is the cornerstone of socioeconomic development and that nutritional problems are
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Children born under-weight have impaired immune function and increased risk of diseases such as diabetes and heart disease in their later life. Malnourished children tend to have lower I.Q. and impaired cognitive ability thus affecting their school performance and then the productivity in their later life4. Similar is the case with women, it's a vicious cycle wherein an anaemic women gives birth to a low birth weight baby which in its later life turns to be malnourished, succumbed to various infection and this cycle …show more content…
Various nutritional programmes are being implemented by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as direct intervention to improve the nutritional status of the community. India was an early starter in recognizing the impact of malnutrition. The Government of India launched its flagship program, the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) as early as 1975. National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) was launched in 2005. The ICDS and NRHM together are designed to deliver most of the essential nutrition interventions and are also set up to reach the most vulnerable populations. The budget for the ICDS has been steadily increasing and is currently at 3 billion USD7. The other programmes are Balwadi nutrition programme and the Special Nutrition programme under the Ministry of Social welfare. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare runs the Nutritional anaemia prophylaxis programme, Iodine deficiency disorders control programme and the Vitamin A prophylaxis programme. The Mid Day Meal programme (for primary children) is being run by the Ministry of Education. Besides these, various indirect measures are being taken by the government for rural development, increasing agricultural production, population stabilization and improving the public distribution system3. However, the ICDS and other programs have also been criticized for their low cost-effectiveness, leakages, poor
Children born under-weight have impaired immune function and increased risk of diseases such as diabetes and heart disease in their later life. Malnourished children tend to have lower I.Q. and impaired cognitive ability thus affecting their school performance and then the productivity in their later life4. Similar is the case with women, it's a vicious cycle wherein an anaemic women gives birth to a low birth weight baby which in its later life turns to be malnourished, succumbed to various infection and this cycle …show more content…
Various nutritional programmes are being implemented by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as direct intervention to improve the nutritional status of the community. India was an early starter in recognizing the impact of malnutrition. The Government of India launched its flagship program, the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) as early as 1975. National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) was launched in 2005. The ICDS and NRHM together are designed to deliver most of the essential nutrition interventions and are also set up to reach the most vulnerable populations. The budget for the ICDS has been steadily increasing and is currently at 3 billion USD7. The other programmes are Balwadi nutrition programme and the Special Nutrition programme under the Ministry of Social welfare. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare runs the Nutritional anaemia prophylaxis programme, Iodine deficiency disorders control programme and the Vitamin A prophylaxis programme. The Mid Day Meal programme (for primary children) is being run by the Ministry of Education. Besides these, various indirect measures are being taken by the government for rural development, increasing agricultural production, population stabilization and improving the public distribution system3. However, the ICDS and other programs have also been criticized for their low cost-effectiveness, leakages, poor