Highlights
- Akshaya Patra is India’s largest mid-day meal serving organisation
- Fortified rice was introduced in mid-day meals in Karnataka and Gujarat
- Fortification is adopted to reduce malnutrition in school-going children
New Delhi: Pawan Kumar is a student of Government Higher Primary School, Obhichudanahalli, Kanakpura main road in Karnataka’s Bengaluru. For Pawan, mid-day meal – hot and freshly cooked meals served to emaciated children – is one of the biggest sources of daily nutrition. The key objective of the mid-day meal is to improve the nutritional status of children, their enrolment, attendance and retention rates in schools and other education centres. According to Pawan’s mother Indira, mid-day meal scheme has been successful at least in the case of her child’s growth and development.
Earlier my son used to be lean and his concentrations levels were abysmally low. He would not show much interest in regular activities like playing or studying. However, now, he has gained weight, become very active and even has improved levels of interest. Pawan tells me that he gets to eat Sambar with a variety of vegetables; desserts like Payasam and sweet rice has loads of dry fruits, dates and ghee. The school in-charge also told us that now children are given fortified rice which has additional micronutrients than regular rice. At school, children are weighed every three months and the last time Pawan’s body weight was checked, an increment of 2.5 kgs was recorded, said an elated Ms Indira while speaking to NDTV.
Ms Indira also said that a similar kind of improvement has been seen among Pawan’s friends. Mid-day meal has indeed proven to be helpful but according to the Akshaya Patra Foundation, India’s largest mid-day meal serving organisation, lately, fortification of staples has provided additional benefits.
Also Read: All About Food Fortification And How It Can Make India A Healthy Country
Fortification of staples simply means adding micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) to foods irrespective of whether or not the nutrients were originally present in the food.
How Fortification Is Improving The Nutritional Quality Of Mid-day Meals
In 2016, the Department of School Education, Government of Karnataka, and Gujarat decided to improve the nutritional and learning outcomes by using fortified staples to prepare meals served to children under Mid-day Meal in selected schools. The Akshaya Patra Foundation which is already the implementing partner of the Government of India’s flagship school feeding programme, the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, chipped in.
Elaborating on the aim of the project, the Akshaya Patra Foundation said,
The objective is to introduce cost-effective, micronutrient-rich staples to public safety net programmes like the mid-day meal scheme. Through fortification, we seek to reduce the burden of malnutrition in school-going children. For the project, the target group is children (6 to 14 years) receiving MDM.
Under the project, meals prepared with fortified rice, wheat flour, oil and double fortified salt were served to children to improve their nutritional and learning outcomes. Overall this resulted in improved attendance and retention in schools.
Rice is fortified with essential nutrients including Iron, Folic acid, Vitamin B12, Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Niacin and Vitamin B6 by simple, cost-effective technology.
The double fortification of salt means adding both iron and iodine to edible salt.
Also Read: POSHAN Maah 2020: Three Different Ways Of Food Fortification Explained
The Impact Of Food Fortification In Karnataka
In 2016, Sambodhi Research and Communication conducted a baseline study covering 1,988 students (6 to 10 years of age) from 50 selected schools spread across five districts in the state. The study revealed that 22.6 per cent of children were afflicted with wasting (low weight for height), 16.9 per cent with stunting (low height for age) and 28.6 per cent were found to be underweight. Noticeably a low proportion of students (68 out of 100 students) were taking iron-rich food in their daily meals at both home and school.
The study was followed with intervention – fortified mid-day meals – the impact of which is evident with the decline in the levels of different forms of malnourishment. After two years, an end line study was conducted which noted about 9 per cent reduction in underweight cases, 3.8 per cent decrease in stunting and 3.5 per cent drop in child wasting.
Also Read: Poshan Maah 2020: What Has Been The Impact Of COVID-19 Pandemic On India’s Malnutrition Targets
There was an overall decrease in the incidence of fever from 12 per cent to 8.9 per cent and a sharp decline in diarrhoea cases from 4.33 per cent to 0.83 per cent.
The baseline study had also noted poor cognitive performance of almost all students, both in Mathematics and English. But, in the end line study, 43.5 per cent students showed improvement in Mathematics and English scores.
The Impact Of Food Fortification In Gujarat
To assess the impact of fortified mid-day meals on the growth of children, a case control study was conducted for an intervention period of eight months. While Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar were intervention districts, Vadodara was the control district. Students in intervention districts were provided fortified mid-day meals whereas children in the control district were given regular mid-day meals. A total of 484 children from the intervention group and 489 from control group were enrolled and followed to measure the outcome of interest.
The impact of rice fortification is evident with a reduction in the proportion of severely malnourished children by almost 4 per cent from 19.1 per cent to 15 per cent. In contrast, in the control district, the proportion of severely malnourished children reduced by little over one per cent from 18.5 per cent to 17.2 per cent.
Similarly, the prevalence of underweight children reduced by 5.3 per cent in the intervention districts as opposed to 3.9 per cent in the control district.
What Are The Challenges Of Fortification?
The Copenhagen Consensus estimates that every Rs. 1 spent on fortification results in Rs. 9 in benefits to the economy. It requires an initial investment to purchase both the equipment and the vitamin and mineral premix, but the overall costs of fortification are extremely low. Nutrients are added to staple foods since they are widely consumed thus making it an excellent way to improve the health of a large section of the population, all at once. Also, neither does fortification changes the characteristics of the food nor does it requires any changes in eating patterns or food habits of people, explained the Akshaya Patra Foundation.
Though it’s an easy way to make children consume vital micronutrients, lack of availability of fortified food and food manufacturers is a challenge. While implementing fortified rice in mid-day meal scheme in schools of Karnataka and Gujarat, one of the biggest challenges the team faced was the lack of fortified rice kernel (rice like grains) manufacturers.
Elaborating more on the challenges in the process of food fortification, the organisation said,
Initial capital investment for machineries like blenders and microdosers; lack of experience in manufacturing blenders and microdosers; fewer numbers of approved millers; regular funding is also a major concern.
India has been promoting food fortification since 1950s but still, not many people have knowledge about it. According to the Akshaya Patra Foundation that has been implementing the project on the ground, for successful uptake of the program, both teachers and parents must be made aware about the fallout of micronutrient malnourishment through sound communication outreach strategies.
Apart from the dietary fortification, we also require the WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) training for school children as a complementary strategy, stated the organisation.
The fortification project has been appreciated by NITI Aayog and also got a mention in ‘Health and Nutrition Practice Insight Volume II’ – a compendium that showcases innovative approaches and effective strategies that have led to a desirable change in the health and nutrition outcomes.
NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.
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State & District Details
State | Cases | Active | Recovered | Deaths |
---|---|---|---|---|
DistrictCases Mumbai45,478 Thane13,660 Pune9,920 Mumbai Suburban5,363 Aurangabad1,974 Nashik1,575 Raigad1,462 Palghar1,421 Solapur1,291 Jalgaon1,039 Akola757 Nagpur692 Kolhapur646 Satara629 Ratnagiri350 Amravati291 Dhule228 Hingoli208 Jalna201 Ahmednagar190 Nanded176 Yavatmal150 Sangli145 Latur139 Osmanabad125 Sindhudurg114 Buldhana88 Parbhani78 gondia69 Beed54 Nandurbar42 Gadchiroli42 Bhandara41 Chandrapur32 Washim13 Wardha11 | 21,55,070 8,293 | 78,212 4,478 | 20,24,704 3,753 | 52,154 62 |
DistrictCases Kannur357 Kasaragod333 Palakkad224 Malappuram119 Kollam118 Thrissur106 Thiruvananthapuram104 Pathanamthitta98 Kozhikode90 Alappuzha76 Kottayam73 Ernakulam60 Idukki40 Wayanad36 | 10,59,403 3,254 | 49,709 1,094 | 10,05,497 4,333 | 4,197 15 |
DistrictCases Udupi1,176 Kalaburagi669 Yadgir538 Bengaluru Urban529 Raichur369 Mandya346 Belagavi337 Bidar219 Hassan205 Davangere204 Vijayapura201 Dakshina Kannada179 Chikkaballapura149 Mysuru107 Bagalkote103 Uttara Kannada95 Shivamogga67 Dharwad61 Ballari60 Gadag45 Bengaluru Rural40 Tumakuru36 Kolar29 Haveri24 Chikkamagaluru19 Chitradurga14 Koppal5 Kodagu4 Ramanagara3 Chamarajanagara0 | 9,51,251 521 | 5,823 166 | 9,33,097 350 | 12,331 5 |
DistrictCases Kurnool795 Krishna557 Guntur511 Anantapur428 East Godavari356 Chittoor319 Sri Potti Sriramulu Nell*296 Y.S.R.205 West Godavari199 Srikakulam183 Prakasam104 Visakhapatnam103 Vizianagaram23 | 8,89,916 117 | 718 51 | 8,82,029 66 | 7,169 |
DistrictCases Chennai23,324 Chengalpattu1,314 Thiruvallur774 Villupuram509 Kanchipuram503 Tiruvannamalai496 Cuddalore477 Ariyalur444 Tirunelveli433 Tuticorin333 Kallakurichi324 Madurai322 Salem258 Coimbatore188 Virudhunagar185 Dindigul175 Perambalur133 Ranipet133 Thanjavur130 Theni129 Tiruchirappalli119 Ramanathapuram119 Tiruppur116 Kanniyakumari110 Tenkasi103 Nagapattinam99 Karur88 Namakkal83 Erode75 Vellore71 Thiruvarur67 Pudukkottai53 Sivaganga46 Tirupathur45 Krishnagiri43 The Nilgiris17 Dharmapuri15 | 8,51,542 479 | 4,022 14 | 8,35,024 490 | 12,496 3 |
DistrictCases North West5,463 Central4,817 West4,768 New Delhi3,405 North3,059 East2,472 South East2,446 South West2,391 South2,329 North East1,914 Shahdara1,580 | 6,39,289 197 | 1,335 28 | 6,27,044 168 | 10,910 1 |
DistrictCases Gautam Buddha Nagar1,119 Agra933 Ghaziabad794 Meerut504 Lucknow386 Saharanpur298 Kanpur Nagar286 Moradabad252 Varanasi243 Hapur225 Aligarh215 Basti214 Amethi206 Rampur203 Jaunpur194 Firozabad190 Barabanki168 Gorakhpur166 Bulandshahr166 Siddharth Nagar159 Ghazipur159 Bijnor157 Deoria143 Azamgarh138 Sant Kabeer Nagar132 Mathura129 Ayodhya120 Muzaffarnagar117 Sambhal116 Sultanpur97 Ambedkar Nagar92 Maharajganj85 Amroha80 Rae Bareli78 Bahraich73 Kheri72 Kannauj69 Baghpat68 Kushi Nagar67 Bhadohi60 Ballia60 Gonda59 Etah52 Hardoi49 Balrampur49 Mau48 Mainpuri46 Etawah46 Hathras43 Unnao42 Jalaun41 Jhansi41 Shamli40 Chandauli38 Auraiya37 Farrukhabad36 Sitapur32 Prayagraj30 Banda27 Shahjahanpur25 Shravasti23 Budaun23 Mirzapur22 Bareilly17 Kasganj16 Pratapgarh15 Pilibhit15 Sonbhadra10 Kaushambi6 Kanpur Dehat4 Chitrakoot4 Lalitpur3 Hamirpur3 Mahoba3 Fatehpur3 | 6,03,527 100 | 2,103 43 | 5,92,699 143 | 8,725 |
DistrictCases Kolkata2,777 Howrah1,435 24 Paraganas North1,031 Hooghly604 24 Paraganas South281 Maldah235 Dinajpur Uttar216 Coochbehar210 Birbhum206 Medinipur West159 Medinipur East153 Nadia139 Purba Bardhaman130 Murshidabad125 Bankura116 Darjeeling97 Jalpaiguri88 Paschim Bardhaman70 Purulia66 Dinajpur Dakshin50 Alipurduar39 Kalimpong18 Jhargram9 | 5,75,118 192 | 3,307 26 | 5,61,543 216 | 10,268 2 |
DistrictCases Ganjam581 Jajapur322 Khordha238 Baleshwar190 Kendrapara164 Cuttack155 Bhadrak137 Balangir129 Puri103 Sundargarh102 Jagatsinghapur91 Nayagarh86 Mayurbhanj73 Nuapada69 Gajapati61 Dhenkanal36 Boudh34 Kendujhar34 Deogarh33 Kalahandi33 Sonepur29 Kandhamal28 Anugul26 Malkangiri20 Bargarh16 Koraput16 Sambalpur16 Jharsuguda8 Nabarangpur2 Rayagada2 | 3,37,191 87 | 704 34 | 3,34,571 52 | 1,916 1 |
DistrictCases Jaipur2,177 Jodhpur1,748 Udaipur724 Bharatpur563 Kota503 Nagaur500 Ajmer379 Dungarpur374 Pali352 Jhalawar329 Bhilwara250 Sikar231 Chittorgarh188 Tonk171 Jalore164 Rajsamand140 Sirohi130 Bikaner112 Banswara91 Alwar90 Churu81 Jhunjhunu64 Dausa61 Dholpur60 Baran59 Jaisalmer53 Barmer34 Hanumangarh31 SawaiMadhopur26 Karauli17 Pratapgarh14 Ganganagar8 Bundi5 | 3,20,336 156 | 1,308 54 | 3,16,241 102 | 2,787 |
DistrictCases Bilaspur100 Korba100 Mungeli87 Baloda Bazar85 Jashpur77 Janjgir-Champa56 Mahasamund54 Rajnandgaon52 Kabirdham52 Raigarh47 Raipur46 Balod41 Korea39 Durg31 Bemetara21 Kanker19 Balrampur17 Surguja14 Gariyaband10 Surajpur9 Dhamtari6 Bijapur2 Bastar2 Dantewada0 Kondagaon0 Narayanpur0 Sukma0 | 3,12,560 141 | 2,774 7 | 3,05,951 132 | 3,835 2 |
DistrictCases Hyderabad2,475 Ranga Reddy183 Suryapet87 Jagitial77 Nizamabad76 MedchalMalkajgiri75 Mancherial43 YadadriBhuvanagiri40 Jogulamba Gadwal40 Vikarabad40 Nalgonda33 Warangal Urban32 Mahabubnagar30 Sangareddy26 Khammam26 Adilabad22 Nirmal21 Karimnagar17 RajannaSircilla16 Medak11 Kamareddy11 Mahabubabad10 Jayashankar Bhupalapally9 Nagarkurnool8 Kumuram Bheem Asifabad8 Jangoan8 Siddipet7 Peddapalli5 Bhadradri Kothagudem5 Warangal Rural4 Mulugu3 Narayanpet3 Wanaparthy1 | 2,98,923 116 | 1,902 49 | 2,95,387 165 | 1,634 |
DistrictCases Gurugram2,950 Faridabad867 Sonipat404 Rohtak145 Palwal120 Jhajjar114 Karnal104 Hisar98 Ambala93 Panipat78 Nuh68 Bhiwani60 Rewari56 Kurukshetra55 Sirsa50 Kaithal48 Mahendragarh47 CharkiDadri43 Panchkula39 Fatehabad38 Jind38 Yamunanagar19 | 2,70,784 174 | 1,275 70 | 2,66,461 103 | 3,048 1 |
DistrictCases Ahmadabad17,125 Surat2,311 Vadodara1,555 Gandhinagar410 Mahesana159 Banas Kantha147 Bhavnagar146 Rajkot135 Arvalli134 Mahisagar125 Anand107 PanchMahals107 Patan105 SabarKantha101 Kachchh99 Kheda98 Jamnagar63 Bharuch56 Botad55 Surendranagar55 Valsad47 GirSomnath45 Dohad43 Chhotaudepur37 Naysari35 Junagadh31 Narmada25 DevbhumiDwarka22 Amreli16 Porbandar11 Tapi6 Dang5 Morbi4 | 2,69,889 407 | 2,363 105 | 2,63,116 301 | 4,410 1 |
DistrictCases Patna279 Bhagalpur266 Rohtas256 Khagaria253 Begusarai243 Madhubani199 Munger188 Jehanabad178 Katihar175 Darbhanga143 Samastipur139 Siwan139 PurbiChamparan138 Purnia135 Banka134 Buxar134 Nalanda123 Gopalganj123 Nawada122 Sheikhpura118 Gaya115 Kaimur (bhabua)105 Bhojpur103 Saran101 Muzaffarpur96 Saharsa88 Supaul87 Vaishali87 Madhepura82 Kishanganj75 Aurangabad75 Sitamarhi73 Lakhisarai72 Araria68 Pashchim Champaran57 Arwal52 Jamui47 Sheohar20 | 2,62,534 25 | 399 5 | 2,60,594 30 | 1,541 |
DistrictCases Indore3,839 Bhopal1,880 Ujjain799 Burhanpur351 Neemuch319 Jabalpur276 East Nimar266 Sagar228 Gwalior211 Khargone196 Dewas140 Dhar132 Mandsaur112 Morena109 Bhind87 Raisen71 Barwani60 Ratlam51 Rewa39 Shajapur39 Hoshangabad37 Vidisha37 Chhatarpur35 Betul35 Rajgarh31 Dindori29 Sheopur26 Damoh26 Satna24 Anuppur22 Panna20 Tikamgarh18 Sidhi17 Narsinghpur17 Chhindwara16 Agar Malwa15 Mandla15 Shivpuri15 Jhabua14 Shandol14 Singrauli13 Ashoknagar13 Datia12 Sehore12 Umaria10 Balaghat9 Guna8 Harda4 Alirajpur3 Katni3 Seoni2 Niwari0 | 2,61,766 363 | 2,785 119 | 2,55,117 243 | 3,864 1 |
DistrictCases Kamrup Metro276 Golaghat203 Nagaon143 Hojai89 Dima Hasao86 Karimganj85 Tinsukia84 Cachar80 Dibrugarh61 Hailakandi57 Lakhimpur57 Marigaon50 Dhemaji47 Kamrup42 Kokrajhar37 Dhubri30 Charaideo29 Barpeta28 Udalguri28 Sonitpur27 Jorhat24 Nalbari23 Darrang20 Sivasagar20 Goalpara19 Biswanath16 Baksa14 KarbiAnglong13 Bongaigaon12 Chirang6 West KarbiAnglong5 South SalmaraMancachar4 Majuli2 | 2,17,537 10 | 1,615 5 | 2,14,830 15 | 1,092 |
DistrictCases Amritsar485 Jalandhar297 Ludhiana293 Tarn Taran163 Gurdaspur154 Hoshiarpur140 S.A.S Nagar137 Patiala132 Sangrur107 Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr)99 Pathankot86 Rupnagar (Ropar)74 Faridkot74 Sri Muktsar Sahib71 Moga65 Bathinda60 Fatehgarh Sahib57 Fazilka53 Firozepur50 Kapurthala44 Mansa31 Barnala25 | 1,82,176 579 | 4,632 196 | 1,71,712 376 | 5,832 7 |
DistrictCases Anantnag395 Srinagar300 Kulgam295 Baramulla271 Shopian255 Kupwara231 Bandipora175 Udhampur155 Ramban151 Jammu138 Budgam110 Pulwama108 Kathua53 Rajouri39 Ganderbal37 Poonch35 Doda27 Reasi26 Samba25 Kishtwar10 Mirpur0 Muzaffarabad0 | 1,26,441 58 | 823 5 | 1,23,661 62 | 1,957 1 |
DistrictCases East Singhbum170 Ranchi148 Hazaribagh110 Garhwa80 Ramgarh75 Koderma58 Simdega48 Dhanbad32 Gumla28 Palamu27 West Singhbhum21 SaraikelaKharsawan20 Giridih19 Bokaro16 Latehar14 Khunti10 Lohardaga8 Deoghar5 Dumka5 Pakur4 Jamtara2 Godda2 Chatra1 Sahebganj0 | 1,19,949 44 | 494 2 | 1,18,365 40 | 1,090 2 |
DistrictCases Dehradun370 Nainital323 Tehri Garhwal110 Haridwar94 Udam Singh Nagar83 Almora71 Champawat45 Pithoragarh43 Chamoli36 PauriGarhwal36 Bageshwar31 Rudraprayag30 Uttar Kashi24 | 97,031 | 489 0 | 94,850 | 1,692 |
DistrictCases Hamirpur117 Kangra105 Una41 Solan32 Chamba29 Bilaspur21 Mandi21 Sirmaur11 Shimla10 Kullu4 Kinnaur2 Lahaul And Spiti0 | 58,645 47 | 318 26 | 57,332 21 | 995 |
DistrictCases South Goa69 North Goa57 | 54,986 54 | 606 8 | 53,585 45 | 795 1 |
DistrictCases Pondicherry111 Mahe4 Karaikal2 Yanam0 | 39,725 8 | 185 12 | 38,872 20 | 668 |
DistrictCases Dhalai196 Sepahijala174 Gomati74 South Tripura53 Unakoti49 West Tripura45 Khowai24 North Tripura14 | 33,417 | 39 2 | 32,987 2 | 391 |
DistrictCases Churachandpur32 Kangpokpi26 Imphal West21 Thoubal18 Imphal East10 Tengnoupal9 Bishnupur7 Senapati6 Chandel5 Kamjong5 Ukhrul4 Jiribam3 Pherzawl3 Kakching2 Tamenglong2 Noney1 | 29,273 2 | 33 11 | 28,867 13 | 373 |
DistrictCases Chandigarh313 | 21,770 51 | 381 24 | 21,037 26 | 352 1 |
DistrictCases Changlang31 Papum Pare8 Lohit3 Namsai2 West Siang1 East Siang1 Upper Siang1 Tawang1 PakkeKessang1 West Kameng0 Upper Subansiri0 Tirap0 Siang0 Shi Yomi0 Anjaw0 Lower Subansiri0 Lower Dibang Valley0 Longding0 Leparada0 KurungKumey0 KraDaadi0 Kamle0 East Kameng0 Dibang Valley0 Lower Siang0 | 16,836 | 0 3 | 16,780 3 | 56 |
DistrictCases East Khasi Hills22 West Garo Hills5 South West Garo Hills4 North Garo Hills1 West Jaintia Hills1 West Khasi Hills1 East Garo Hills0 East Jaintia Hills0 Ribhoi0 South Garo Hills0 South West Khasi Hills0 | 13,962 1 | 17 0 | 13,797 1 | 148 |
DistrictCases Dimapur20 Mon8 Kohima7 Kiphire3 Tuensang3 Peren2 Phek1 Longleng0 Mokokchung0 Wokha0 Zunheboto0 | 12,200 1 | 7 3 | 12,102 4 | 91 |
DistrictCases Kargil77 LehLadakh43 | 9,818 | 53 1 | 9,635 1 | 130 |
DistrictCases East District3 South District3 North District0 West District0 | 6,145 8 | 46 2 | 5,964 6 | 135 |
DistrictCases South Andamans33 Nicobars1 North And Middle Andaman1 | 5,020 2 | 6 2 | 4,952 | 62 |
DistrictCases Kolasib11 Aizawl10 Mamit8 Lawngtlai2 Lunglei2 Saitual1 Champhai0 Hnahthial0 Khawzawl0 Saiha0 Serchhip0 | 4,423 | 20 5 | 4,393 5 | 10 |
DistrictCases Dadra And Nagar Haveli20 | 3,406 | 4 0 | 3,400 | 2 |
DistrictCases Lakshadweep District0 | 382 23 | 120 22 | 261 1 | 1 |