Programme to address the Maternal and Child under-nutrition launched

The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for implementation of the multi-sectoral programme to address the maternal and child under-nutrition in the 12th Five Year Plan. The multi-sectoral nutrition programme would address the maternal and child malnutrition in 200 high burden districts by bringing together various national programmes through strong institutional, programmatic and operational convergence at the State, District, Block and Village levels.
The scheme will cost Rs. 1,213.19 crore for the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with a Centre : State cost sharing ratio of 90:10 for all components in the North Eastern Region States and special category States and 75:25 for other States and Union Territories. The Central share would be Rs. 944.39 crore and the state share would be Rs. 268.80 crore.
The programme will set a goal to bring coherence in policy, planning and action with core focus on nutrition interventions by including specific pro-nutrition and nutrition sensitive actions in different programmes / schemes and through intensified direct and indirect approach. It will bring in strong nutrition focus in various sectoral plans and provide for a limited gap filling support towards key nutrition related interventions. The programme targets to contribute to the following as outcomes:
i)  Prevention and reduction in child under-nutrition (underweight prevalence in children under 3 years of age); andii) reduction in levels of anemia among young children, adolescent girls and women.