Governance

Fortifying rice by adding micronutrients is a quick and cost-efficient way to address malnutrition

·        In an formidable try and combat the serious problem of anaemia because of malnutrition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an announcement to mandate rice fortification in all social safetynet schemes by 2024.

·        Rice fortification, a technique of adding micronutrients like iron, folic acid and vitamin B12, is an powerful, preventive and value-green complementary method to deal with the nutrition trouble within ashort period.

·        Anaemia – India has made impressive progress in reducing stunting and anaemia among children over the last decade.

·        However, anaemia still influences a couple of in two children and ladies.

·        The WHO has declared anaemia among women and children as a “severe” public health problem, demanding immediate attention.

·         Further, recent statistics indicate rise in anaemia levels amongst among women and children in 16 and 18 of 22 States/UTs respectively (NFHS-5).

·        Iron deficiency-anaemia is the biggest cause of disability for the past 10 years and contributed 20 per cent direct and 50 per cent associated maternal deaths in India.

·        Its economic burden is equivalent to about 4 per cent of GDP.

·        Apart from iron, deficiency in micronutrient like diet B12, nutrition A, folate and zinc also make a contribution to growing anaemia degrees.

·        Reasons– The available national level consumption data National Nutrition Monitoring Board (1979; 1991; 2002; 2012) indicate low levels of iron and micronutrient deficiencies amongst the Indian population. “What India Eats”, a recent report via ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, suggests low intake of nutritious food like end result, veggies, milk, pulses, meat, poultry, and so on.

·        FAO lately attributed the affordability of cost-in-depth healthy diets as a constraint in attaining the nutrients-associated Sustainable Development Goals globally.

·        At $1/person per day, India’s spending on diet is significantly lower than the EAT Lancet dietary recommendations of $3-5.

·        Analysis by means of IFPRI also finds that almost two-thirds of the rural negative cant manage to pay for a nutritious food regimen that meets India’s country-wide meals-based totally nutritional pointers.

·        On the other hand, rice, a staple cereal, is fed on by way of 65 in step with cent of the population at the fee of 6.8 kg in keeping with capita per month.

·        Fortifying rice with micronutrients as a consequence is an excellent vehicle and gives an immediate opportunity to bridge nutritional nutrient gaps and enhance fitness outcomes.

·        Indian Efforts – The Prime Minister’s announcement of universalization of rice fortification by 2024, will cover about 100 crore target population, including about 20 crore women of reproductive age.

·        FSSAI is working on FRK standardisation and enabling setting up more NABL accredited labs and Bureau of Indian Standards Standardisation of Extruders/Blenders, to ensure quality.

·        FCI and the Ministries of Women and Child Development and Education are working in convergence to ensure distribution of 13.70 lakh tonnes of fortified rice in ICDS and MDM.

·        It has been promoting millets on a venture mode to obtain dietary protection and has blanketed millets underneath NFSA to be dispensed in the social protection net schemes.

·        The Prime Minister recently launched 35 crop sorts with higher nutrient content to fight malnutrition.

·        Under POSHAN 2.Zero, MoWCD has entreated all Aspirational Districts to set up poshanvatika or nutrigarden to promote regionally grown nutritious meals.

·        Note – Historically, India has tested the idea of fortification by mandating iodised salt in 1962.

·        Interestingly, CNNS Report 2016-18, subtly hinted the achievement of established fortification of salt through revealing iodine to be the handiest exception to micronutrient deficiencies in the examined pattern.

·        To recognize more about Rice Fortification, please refer to August 2021 DPN.

·        Copenhagen Consensus Copenhagen Consensus is a project that seeks to establish priorities for advancing international welfare using methodologies primarily based at the concept of welfare economics, using cost–gain analysis.

·        It turned into conceived and organized around 2004 by means of BjørnLomborg,the author of The Skeptical Environmentalist and the then director of the Danish government’s Environmental Assessment Institute.

·        The project is run by the Copenhagen Consensus Center, which is directed by Lomborg and was part of the Copenhagen Business School, but it is now an independent non-profit organisation registered in the USA.

·        The undertaking considers feasible solutions to an extensive range of troubles, provided with the aid of professionals in every area.