THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Government will soon unveil the Draft Nutrition Policy with the ambitious objectives of ensuring universal access to treatment for malnourished women and children and eliminating iodine deficiency and Vitamin-A disorders by 2025. The policy will adopt the life-cycle approach as the strategy to interrupt the inter-generational transfer of malnutrition. “The life-cycle approach calls for the clear recognition of all the socio-biological phases in human life, from infancy to old age,” a top Social Justice source said.
The other major objectives of the policy would be: reduction of underweight among children and anaemia among women and children by 50 percent; halting the increase in diabetes and cardiovascular diseases; and increase in the per capita consumption of fruits and vegetables by 25 percent. The policy stated that over 80 percent of households in rural areas of the State have a calorie intake lower than the prescribed daily consumption value of 2400 kilo calories.
In the last two decades, the policy notes, the proportion of households consuming less than 1800 Kcal has increased from 44 to 46 percent. The policy also notes that a higher percentage of households in rural Kerala have a tendency for over-consumption (above 3000 Kcal). It has also been found that only 74 percent of children between the age of 6-9 months receive the recommended combination of breast milk and solid/mushy foods. The policy identifies anaemia as a major health problem, especially among children and women.
A major recommendation would be the constitution of a state-level Nutrition Council chaired by the Chief Minister and an executive committee headed by the social justice minister for the implementation and monitoring of the policy. The members of the executive committee will consist of members of other departments like health, education, food and civil supplies, agriculture and local self governments; nutrition experts; representatives of nutrition-related professional bodies; and NGOs active in the field.
