Date:09/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/09/stories/2008070955701500.htm

National

Intervention from pregnancy to 2 years of child

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The government will formulate a strategy for special intervention from pregnancy to the first two years of the child for high burden districts to prevent undernutrition.

A plan of action will be drafted for focussed attention on grades III and IV malnutrition, besides setting up a task force to look into various aspects of micronutrients fortification.

These decisions were taken by the executive committee of the National Nutrition Mission here on Tuesday. Chaired by Minister of State for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury, the meeting discussed high impact interventions such as breastfeeding for the first six months, appropriate complementary feeding, timely and complete immunisation, Vitamin A supplementation and universal usage of adequately iodised salt.

New WHO standards

Ms. Chowdhury said new WHO child growth standards would be introduced soon in India, recognising child nutrition as a sensitive indicator of national development.