Discuss the National Nutrition Policy of India and the strategies it lays down.
How to lay out the answer. Follow the frame, then write it in your own words.
1 · Open in two lines. A nutrition policy states a government's goals and strategies for improving the nutrition of its people. India adopted its National Nutrition Policy in 1993.
2 · Background. Malnutrition seen as a many-sided problem; prepared under the Department of Women and Child Development; the National Plan of Action on Nutrition followed in 1995.
3 · Draw the strategy chart. [Chart: NNP → Direct (short-term) and Indirect (long-term) strategies, with 4-5 boxes under each]
4 · Direct interventions.
ICDS safety net and supplementary feeding.
Fortification of essential foods.
Low-cost nutritious foods.
Control of vitamin A, iron and iodine deficiency.
5 · Indirect interventions.
Food security and a better PDS.
Income, land reform, minimum wages, equal pay.
Health, water, sanitation, female literacy.
Surveillance, research, community participation.
6 · The present mission. POSHAN Abhiyaan (8 March 2018): targets, Poshan Tracker, convergence and Jan Andolan; now part of Poshan 2.0.
7 · In the community. Poshan Maah activities in anganwadis and schools every September.
8 · Close in one line. The policy's message is convergence: food, health, water, education and women's status must improve together.
Scoring tip: Split the strategies cleanly into direct and indirect; a two-column chart makes this obvious to the examiner.
