Despite ₹2,879 Crore Allocated for Poshan Abhiyaan, Gujarat Struggles with Malnutrition and Anaemia

Ahmedabad: Despite receiving a significant allocation of ₹2,879.3 crore under the Poshan Abhiyaan over the last three years, Gujarat continues to grapple with alarming levels of malnutrition and anaemia, government data reveals.

As of October 2024, 40.8% of children aged 0-5 years in Gujarat are stunted, 7.8% are wasted, and 21% are underweight, reflecting the persistent nutritional challenges in the state. Additionally, 65% of women aged 15-49 years suffer from anaemia, marking it as a critical health concern.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development, in response to a query raised by MP Dr. V. Sivadasan in the Rajya Sabha, highlighted substantial funding under the Poshan Abhiyaan-National Nutrition Mission (NNM). Gujarat was allocated ₹839.86 crore in 2021-22, ₹912.64 crore in 2022-23, and ₹1,126.8 crore in 2023-24 as part of Mission Poshan 2.0 to address malnutrition and improve health outcomes.

However, despite the increased financial commitment, the number of beneficiaries under the scheme has steadily declined over the years. In 2021-22, the program reached 42.87 lakh beneficiaries, but this dropped to 40.47 lakh in 2022-23 and further reduced to 37.82 lakh by March 2024.

While there has been some improvement in malnutrition rates compared to 2022 — when 53.6% of children were stunted, 8.1% wasted, and 23.1% underweight — the figures remain concerning. Anaemia among women, in particular, has shown no significant improvement, pointing to gaps in the program’s outreach and effectiveness.

The data underscores a pressing need for better implementation and monitoring of nutrition programs to ensure the funds translate into tangible health outcomes, particularly for children and women in Gujarat.

News Source : “Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.”