GADCHIROLI’S SPECIAL DIET PROGRAMME

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Context

Gadchiroli, a tribal-dominated district in Maharashtra has set a national example in the fight against malnutrition.

Malnutrition

Malnutrition refers to deficiencies, excesses, or imbalances in a person’s intake of energy and/or nutrients, as per the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Children with malnutrition have weaker immune systems, leaving them vulnerable to developmental delays, disease and death.

Highest Malnutrition in India

Maharashtra has the highest number of malnourished children in India.
After Nandurbar, Gadchiroli district has the second highest number of malnutrition cases among children in Maharashtra.

Food support to combat Malnutrition

Under the central sector scheme Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme, the malnourished children are provided with energy dense nutritious food (EDNF) – a ready-made paste with micro-nutrients to ensure that the children gain normal weight.
However, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the scheme was stopped and the Women and Child Development (WCD) department started providing Take Home Ration (THR), which included packages containing 2 kg each of rice, wheat, dal and chana, apart from cooking oil, salt and spices.
However, the ration was often consumed by the entire household and not just the affected child.

CASE STUDY

Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli District: A national example on how to combat Malnutrition

Programme

In 2021, the district introduced a special diet programme for malnourished children between the ages of six months and six years.
The Diet Programme listed eight nutrient-dense Maharashtrian recipes to help the children in their recovery.
These included vegetable khichdi, sprouts cutlet, peanut cutlet, tiranga paratha (made with wheat flour, beet root, spinach and soybean flour), a dry chutney made with curry leaves, Mutthe (a cutlet made of rice, green gram and drumstick leaves), groundnut, jaggery, and sesame laddu and kadi patta shankarpali (a snack made of curry leaves).
So, along with the THR, this special diet was also introduced. These eight recipes provide iron, calcium, protein, vitamins, and energy.
The recipes were given to anganwadi workers and they were also trained in the preparation.
Most of the vegetables for the programme were grown by the anganwadi workers in the anganwadi mini kitchen. The department also gives Rs 100 to each malnourished child in the programme. The entire scheme is being funded by Gram Panchayats.

Outcome

3,794 malnourished children (of the 7,111 listed) have recovered in the district.
Of the 1,017 children identified as Severely Acute Malnourished (SAM), 513 (50.14%) recovered.
Also, of the 2,141 Severely Under-weight (SUW) children, 789 or 27 per cent gained weight and recovered.

Takeaway

For the first time, such a diet chart was introduced in any district in Maharashtra. The same diet can be implemented across the state to improve the health of children.

Must Read: https://iasgyan.in/ig-uploads/pdf/342404.pdf