UP govt allots Rs 5,129 Cr to tackle malnutrition

The Uttar Pradesh government has allocated Rs 5,129 crore for its child nutrition programme, of which close to Rs 971 crore will go towards honorarium payments to Anganwadi workers and Rs 700 crore for its Kanya Sumangala Scheme—which provides financial assistance to girl children for their education.

The overall budget for the state Department of Women and Child Development is Rs 13,000 crore, according to a report in The Times of India.

Being one of the states with the highest malnutrition levels in the country (as reported by Lancet in 2021), these allocations are seen as the Uttar Pradesh government's efforts to address the issue. Community-based micro enterprises led by self-help groups are a big part of the government's initiatives to tackle malnutrition.

UP State Rural Livelihood Mission runs the Take Home Ration (THR) Scheme, under which several thousands of women self-help groups distribute rations to beneficiaries in blocks and villages.

Fortified foods produced by these groups for pregnant/breastfeeding mothers and children are provided as ration through the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme.

The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 5 report—the latest so far—put UP in the third position (39.7% of infants) among states with the highest instances of child stunting. Making steady headway in addressing the issue, in 2023 the ICDS ran a four-month-long programme called ‘Sambhav’, under which 1.5 crore SAM (severe acute malnutrition) and MAM (moderate acute malnutrition) children were identified across the state and provided with medicines and supplementary nutrition.