BHUBANESWAR: A draft Common Result Framework (CRF) for reduction of malnutrition has been designed by a working group constituted to reduce undernourishment in the State.
"The CRF has been designed to achieve a reduction of 20 percentage points in malnutrition in the State by 2025 to keep pace with the targets set under Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and World Health Assembly (WHA)," said Women and Child Development Secretary Vishal Dev.
Stunting, anemia, low birth weight, exclusive breast feeding and child hood wasting have been suggested as indicators for measuring the reduction in malnutrition.
There has been reduction in stunting among children under five from 45 per cent in 2005-06 to 38 per cent in 2013-14 due to several child measures, health, sanitation, food security and child care initiatives, the draft CRF said.
There has been significant decline in infant mortality rate (IMR) from 112 in 1992-93 to 49 in 2014. Improvement in rural connectivity, increased use of ICDS and health services by the people have resulted in these achievements.
This was discussed at a high-level meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi in Secretariat here recently.
It has been decided to achieve improvement in all key result areas through scale up of nutrition specific governance.
The identified key result areas include increased demand and delivery of nutrition related services and entitlements, increased State capacity, improved multi-sectoral planning and convergence and improved commitment and leadership for nutrition.
It was further decided to prepare Odisha multi-sector Nutrition Action Plan (ONAP) through consultation with concerned departments dealing with food security, nutrition, agricultural productivity, sanitation, health and maternity care.
Dev said the ONAP will be finalised within two weeks after inter-departmental consultation.
It was also decided to operationalise a nutrition secretariat as an overarching body to provide guidance and direction to all components of the project.
The State Government has entered into an agreement with Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives (APPI) to reduce the malnutrition rate and ensure development of women in the State. The ONAP will be carried forward in joint collaboration between the State Government of APPI.
As per the agreement, APPI will spend about `300 crore towards eradication of malnutrition and development of women in the State over a period of 8-10 years.