Child malnutrition and stunting remains one of the biggest health concerns globally. One in every three children in India is stunted. Some of the previously conducted studies have found disturbing facts about the state of nutrition in people across the world. Protein, iron and vitamin D deficiencies are commonly occurring in people across the globe. With an aim to spread awareness and formulate policies on the state of nutrition in India, the NITI Aayog on Tuesday released the National Nutrition Strategy aimed at bringing nutrition to the core of the National Development Agenda. The strategy lays down a road-map for effective action in achieving nutrition objectives, the planning body said in a statement.
M.S Swaminathan, one of the pioneers in agriculture science, released the strategy document emphasizing the need for a holistic nutrition strategy that would cover the nutritional needs of a person from birth to death. He added that all three types of nutrition deficiencies — under-nutrition, malnutrition and protein hunger — need to be looked at in totality. “Agriculture provides answers to most of the nutrition problems… The challenge is how you marry the two,” he was quoted by IANS.
Experts pointed at the need for states to create customized state and district level action plans and a nutrition strategy to tackle challenges and address local needs.
“The strategy enables states to make strategic choices, through decentralized planning and local innovation, with accountability for nutrition outcomes,” it added.
[“Source-timesofindia”]
