The Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry will soon launch a 'National Mission to Address Malnutrition' in order to reduce under-nutrition among young children, girls and women.
The mission will have focus on pregnant and lactating mothers, children under 3 and adolescent girls, WCD Secretary V S Oberoi said today.
Addressing reporters on the 100-day achievements of her ministry, WCD Minister Maneka Gandhi also unveiled the 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' campaign logo.
"We will have the widest possible consultations (on the Mission). We will build on the initiatives of state governments. Panchayats and communities would be involved. The approach to the mission will be a life cycle approach. There will be a special focus on pregnant and lactating mothers, children under 3 and adolescent girls," Oberoi said.
The ministry has launched a multi-sectoral nutrition programme aimed at prevention and reduction of under-nutrition and reduction in levels of anaemia among children, adolescent girls and women in 200 'high-burden' districts.
The Ministry has identified 100 districts with the worst child sex ratio (CSR) for the ambitious scheme that envisages a mix of cash transfers with stringent action against erring medical practitioners and monitoring of health clinics.
Child sex ratio (0-6 years) in India was 927 girl children per 1,000 boys in 2001 which dipped to 919 girls for 1,000 boys in 2011, the lowest since Independence. Besides, India ranked 41 among 195 countries, according to a Unicef report in 2012.
