Fighting Malnutrition

More than seven years have passed since the Government of India launched its flagship programme Poshan Abhiyaan, or National Nutrition Mission, an attempt to improve nutritional outcomes for children, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers in the country. In line with this ambitious campaign, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has launched a nationwide 16-day health campaign -- Swasth Nari, Sashakt Parivar Abhiyaan – alongside the annual Poshan Maah. With a focus on women’s health, the mission will organise more than one lakh health camps at health facilities across the country to ensure early detection and treatment of disease. Through this health outreach, women can avail screening services for NCDs, cancers, anaemia, hypertension, tuberculosis, reproductive health issues, sickle cell disease, diabetes and other women’s health issues from the nearest health centres, including AAMs, CHCs and district hospitals. The Union Health ministry has also informed that awareness camps will be organised at educational institutions and various mediums, including radio and social media, during the fortnight-long campaign which will culminate on October 2. While this is no doubt a laudable initiative, its success should be measured by its reach to women in rural areas, who are often deprived of basic healthcare for various reasons, including poverty, ignorance and lack of health facilities near them. The emphasis should be on ensuring that health services are delivered effectively at the grassroots level.

Equal emphasis should be given towards enhancing nutritional outcomes of women and children. For instance, a malnourished mother is at risk of having an undernourished child, which in turn raises the mortality rate for both. This highlights the need to consider the nutritional aspect while addressing women’s health issues. According to the World Bank’s 2025 Poverty and Equity Brief, India has managed to lift 171 million people out of extreme poverty between 2011 and 2023 as well as reduce consumption inequality significantly. However, critics have termed the report "fraudulent", arguing that inequalities persist in reality. While this report will be subject to debate, the fact remains that India continues to face the challenge of malnutrition, which is intertwined with social, economic, and cultural differences. As per the National Family Health Survey 5 (2019-2021), malnutrition among women aged 15-49 years is 18.7%, while the prevalence of anaemia among women is 57.0% and 52.2% in expectant mothers. The national survey also revealed that 35.5% of children under the age of five are stunted, 19.3% are wasted, 32.1% are underweight and 67.1% (6-59 months) suffer from anaemia. This data reveals significant insights into the country's nutritional condition. So, to make the newly launched women’s health and empowerment campaign effective, the prevailing undernutrition issue should be addressed.