Pandemic pushed back efforts in ending child labour: study
- The government has listed the following steps, taken during the lockdown, for supplementary child nutrition:
- To ensure continuous nutritional support to beneficiaries, anganwadi workers and helpers distributed supplementary nutrition at the doorstep of beneficiaries once in 15 days during COVID-19 as all anganwadi centres across the country were closed to limit the impact of the pandemic.
- Anganwadi workers and helpers also assisted the local administration in community surveillance, creating awareness as well as doing other work assigned to them from time to time.
Covid-19 impact on malnutrition in children in India:
- While the deteriorating facets of malnutrition continue to remain a matter of grave concern, the emergence of COVID-19 has only worsened it.
- The partial closure of Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) along with disruptions in supply chains due to subsequent lockdowns has resulted in halting of mid-day meals scheme, reduced access to take home ration and restricted mobility to health care services.
- According to a study published in journal Global Health Science 2020, the challenges induced by COVID-19 are expected to push another four million children into acute malnutrition.
- This is also evident from India poor ranking, an abysmal 94th out of 107 countries on the Global Hunger Index 2020.
Government effort to fight malnutrition
- Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) .
- POSHAN Abhiyaan.
- National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013.
- Mid-day Meal (MDM) scheme.
- Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).
- The National Nutrition Strategy (NNS)."