CIA-III

Investing in Nutrition, Investing in Future: The Economic Case for India's National
Nutrition Policy
[Sub. Code-BECO331]

Faculty – Dr Vinay Sarkar

Dept. of Economics , BGR Campus,

Christ (Deemed to be University)

Submitted by

VAMIL MAHESHWARI
2234159
3EMP
National Nutrition Policy of India
The National Nutrition Policy of India, came into effect in 1993 under the Department of
Women & Child Development. It seeks to improve the nutritional condition of vulnerable
populations which includes, women, children, and expectant mothers. Variety of techniques
are used to balance short-term priorities with long-term goals.
The policy focuses on correcting micronutrient deficiencies, extending child safety nets, and
guaranteeing adequate nourishment for target groups. Further, it encourages the monitoring
of children's growth in the 0–3 age range and emphasises the need for nourishment for
adolescent females, which would support pregnancy in the future.
The strategy has laid out its objectives, such as lowering the rate of malnutrition, providing
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) to all adolescent girls from low-income
families, and increasing production of food.
Thet strategy also aims to expand the nutrition safety net through ICDS to include all
target children between the ages of 0 and 6 years and to distribute iodized salt in
indigenous areas.
The strategy also incorporates long-term plans that cover food security, rural and agricultural
growth, and nutrition education. These actions are intended to enhance awareness, boost food
production, and guarantee that everyone has access to a healthy diet.

Evidence:
A growing body of evidence indicates that nutrition education can assist in improving both
health and economic outcomes. A study conducted by the National Institute of Nutrition, for
example, revealed that a nutritional education initiative for pregnant women in India resulted
in a significant reduction in the prevalence of anaemia and preterm births. Another study
conducted by the World Health Organisation revealed that nutrition education courses for
kids in India resulted in significant changes in their height and weight.

Policy Measure:
The Indian government may take numerous steps to improve the efficacy of nutrition
awareness for economic growth. These include increasing the availability of information on
nutrition by incorporating it in schools, healthcare institutions, and community programmes.
Improving the standard of nutrition education necessitates investment in high-quality
instructional materials and nutrition educator training programmes. Targeting certain
vulnerable populations, like breastfeeding moms, pregnant women and small children,
enables targeted and impactful teaching. Collaboration with the business sector, particularly
food firms, can help to improve the execution of nutrition programmes, including the
marketing of healthy food items. These policies jointly support nutritional awareness as a
pillar of economic growth.
Additional Policy Measures:
The government of India has built a nationwide institutional structure to monitor the National
Nutrition Policy (NNP) implementation. The National Council on Nutrition (NCN) is in
charge of establishing and overseeing the country's nutritional goals and objectives, while the
National Nutrition Resource Centre (NNRC) offers training and research assistance to the
NCN and other stakeholders. Furthermore, State Nutrition Missions (SNMs) have been
tasked with executing the NNP at the state level.
In terms of nutrition programmes and interventions, the government has introduced efforts
like the Poshan Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission), which aims to reduce stunting in
children under the age of five by 2% points every year. The Integrated Child Development
Services (ICDS) programme is a universal programme that serves children under the age of
six, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers. The Mid-Day Meal Scheme provides
healthy meals to children in government schools and other qualifying organisations, while the
National Food Security Act (NFSA) provides subsidised food grains to low-income
households, therefore improving food security.
Through public awareness initiatives and cooperation with civil society organisations and the
commercial sector, the public sector is actively engaged in promoting nutrition awareness and
advocacy. Nutrition research is also sponsored in order to continuously enhance nutritional
education.
Specific instances of policy execution include Poshan Abhiyaan's convergent strategy, in
which ministries collaborate to address the core causes of malnutrition. The Mid-Day Meal
Scheme encourages the intake of healthful meals and provides nutritional content
recommendations. The National Food Security Act was recently updated to include fortified
rice, which increases iron and folic acid consumption.
The government has created the Kishori Shakti Yojana (KSY), providing nutrition and other
services to teenage females, to alleviate malnutrition in certain categories.

Real Life Evidence:

An increasing amount of empirical research supports the value of nutritional education in
fostering economic growth.
• World Bank research, for example, discovered that a dietary education programme for
pregnant women across India resulted in a significant rise in the percentage of women who
had healthy kids. The programme also saved the Indian government $1 million on healthcare
expenditures, according to the report.
• According to research conducted by the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, a
nutrition education programme for schoolchildren in India resulted in a considerable
improvement in academic performance. The programme also enhanced the pupils' earning
potential by 10%, according to the report.
• According to research conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research, a nutrition
education programme for farmers in India resulted in a considerable boost in agricultural
production. The programme also raised farmers' incomes by 15%, according to the report.

The Economic Impact:

Strengthening and improving nutrition education would have a big beneficial influence on the
Indian economy. Improved nutrition would result in higher production, lower healthcare
expenses, and better cognitive development. This would spur economic development and
employment creation.

Challenges Faced:
The National Nutrition Policy's execution in India has several theoretical ramifications that
might be valuable lessons for comparable worldwide policy endeavours.
First, the strategy emphasises the value of cross-sector cooperation in tackling complicated
social challenges like hunger. It emphasises the necessity for solid collaboration between
several ministries and agencies and highlights the reality that a variety of factors from many
industries have an impact on nutrition results.
Second, the problems with the policy's data dependability highlight how important precise
and complete data are in creating successful interventions. This experience highlights the
need to invest in reliable data collecting and tracking systems to support the development of
evidence-based policies and decision-making.
Thirdly, concern about resource allocation for providing enough funds to initiate nutrition
programmes for the disadvantaged people. And lastly instability withing the government and
policy makers can infringe the process of implementation.
The National Nutrition Policy emphasises the necessity of continued support from
governments and decision-makers for its implementation in its entirety. It also emphasises
the significance of multidisciplinary study and evaluation of public health and nutritional
programmes.

Conclusion:
The National Nutrition Policy (NNP) of India is an important instrument for encouraging
economic growth in the country. The NNP can boost productivity, lower healthcare expenses,
and promote cognitive development by increasing the nutritional condition of the population.
This has the potential to stimulate economic expansion, create jobs, and eliminate poverty.
The Indian government has taken several initiatives to execute the NNP, including designing
and executing nutrition programmes and interventions. However, more has to be
accomplished to strengthen and improve the NNP.
Nutrition education is a critical area for development. The government can enhance the
nutritional well-being of the people and increase economic growth by enhancing awareness
about nutrition by making it accessible to all Indians.
 References

https://womenchild.maharashtra.gov.in/upload/nnp_0.pdf

(n.d.). FAOLEX Database | Food and Agriulture Organization of the United

Nations. https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/sud152512.pdf

(n.d.).

Home. https://www.bbau.ac.in/docs/FoundationCourse/MPDC/National%20Nutritio

n.pdf

Just a moment... (n.d.). Just a moment... https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/food-

science/nutrition-policy