The steps proposed by the Government to ensure access to qualitynutrition for all children in India, particularly for those who are mostvulnerable

The Government of India has taken several steps to ensure access to quality nutrition for all children, particularly for those who are most vulnerable. Here are some of the key steps:

1. Mid-Day Meal Scheme: This is one of the most significant initiatives by the government. Under this scheme, free lunches are provided on school working days for children in primary and upper primary classes in government, government aided, local body, Education Guarantee Scheme, and alternate innovative education centres, Madarsa and Maqtabs supported under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, and National Child Labour Project schools.

2. Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS): This program provides food, preschool education, primary healthcare, immunization, health check-up and referral services to children under 6 years of age and their mothers. The services are provided in anganwadis.

3. National Health Mission (NHM): Under NHM, several initiatives have been undertaken such as promotion of breastfeeding, complementary feeding, iron supplementation, management of severe acute malnutrition, deworming, and weekly iron and folic acid supplementation.

4. POSHAN Abhiyaan: The government launched the POSHAN (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition) Abhiyaan in 2018, which aims to reduce stunting, undernutrition, anemia and reduce low birth weight by 2%, 2%, 3% and 2% per annum respectively.

5. Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY): This scheme provides partial compensation for wage loss in terms of cash incentives so that the woman can take adequate rest before and after delivery of the first living child. The cash incentive provided would lead to improved health seeking behaviour amongst the Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers (PW&LM).

These are some of the key steps taken by the government to ensure access to quality nutrition for all children in India, particularly for those who are most vulnerable.