Date: 03/12/2022
Relevance: GS-2: Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health and Nutrition; Migration and Related Issues.
Key Phrases: Malnourishment, Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM), Nutrition Discourse, Diarrhea, Hypothermia, Geographical Complications, Migration, Lack of Data, Guaranteed wages, MGNREGS, Nutrition Infrastructure, Portability, Stunting and Underweight.
Context:
- A recently conducted survey found a data anomaly at the temporal pattern of malnourishment in the tribal sub-division of Dharni in Maharashtra’s Amravati district. This survey presents some important takeaways for better implementation of the government schemes.
Key Takeaway from the Survey:
- Data anomaly at the temporal pattern of malnourishment
- There was a peak in the number of children with Severe Acute
Malnutrition (SAM) and Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) in
the April month of the year.
- The common sense of nutrition discourse dictates that the peak should be in monsoon when diarrhea takes over, or in winter when hypothermia is the devil for children.
- This is because of migration.
- There was a peak in the number of children with Severe Acute
Malnutrition (SAM) and Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) in
the April month of the year.
- Not Guaranteed wages
- Multiple families are being provided guaranteed wages at the destination of migration because they do not find guaranteed wages in their source areas.
- Lack of knowledge of Beneficiaries
- There is no issue of lack of health and nutrition infrastructures in many places but still malnutrition problems exist there because of lack of knowledge of beneficiaries there.
- Less bargaining power of migrants especially women and children
- Despite many facilities such as ration and mid-day meal, migrant families do not avail these facilities because of less bargaining power of migrant families especially women and children.
Migration
- About
- It is the movement by people from one place to another with the intention of settling, permanently or temporarily in a new location (within or outside the home country).
- Types of Migration
- Internal migration: moving within a state, country, or continent.
- External migration: moving to a different state, country, or continent.
- Emigration: leaving one country to move to another.
- Immigration: moving into a new country.
Malnutrition
- About:
- Malnutrition refers to deficiencies or excesses in nutrient intake, imbalance of essential nutrients or impaired nutrient utilization.
- Undernutrition manifests in four broad forms: wasting, stunting, underweight, and micronutrient deficiencies.
- Manifestation of Malnutrition:
- Stunting
- It is defined as low height-for-age.
- It is the result of chronic or recurrent undernutrition, usually associated with poverty, poor maternal health and nutrition, frequent illness and/or inappropriate feeding and care in early life.
- Stunting prevents children from reaching their physical and cognitive potential.
- Wasting
- Wasting is defined as low weight-for-height.
- It usually occurs when a person has not had food of adequate quality and quantity and/or they have had frequent or prolonged illnesses.
- Wasting in children is associated with a higher risk of death if not treated properly.
- Underweight
- It is defined as low weight-for-age.
- A child who is underweight may be stunted, wasted or both.
- Micronutrient deficiencies
- Micronutrient deficiencies are a lack of vitamins and minerals that are essential for body functions such as producing enzymes, hormones and other substances needed for growth and development.
- Stunting
- Key Highlights of NFHS-5 on Malnutrition and Migration:
- While there has been some progress in tackling malnutrition among children and women over the past decade, the improvement has been modest at best.
- While there was some reduction in stunting rates (35.5% from
38.4%in NFHS-4) 13 States or Union Territories have seen an
increase in stunted children since NFHS-4;
- This includes Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Kerala.
- Seasonal migrations have long been a livelihood strategy for the
poorest households in India, as a means to access food and money
through casual labor.
- However, children and women are the most affected, suffering from deprivation during migrations impacting their health condition.
Way Forward:
- There is an urgent need to start working on a migration tracking system as well as strengthening MGNREGS.
- Inter-relationships between migration and malnutrition need a deeper dive, especially in tribal areas, which constitute a higher density of malnutrition.
- A long-term reduction in stunting and underweight and improving health will need us to understand the interplay of nutrition, livelihood and poverty.
- A plan that focuses on targeting and triaging the most vulnerable — a strategy that keeps them at the centre without silos — might just be what we need to move one step forward in improving the wellbeing of people.
- India needs to formulate migration centric policies, strategies, and institutional mechanisms in order to ensure inclusive growth and development and reduce distress induced migration, thereby increasing India’s prospects for poverty reduction.
Conclusion:
- Improved nutrition would contribute significantly towards the achievement of various SDGs.
Source: IndianExpress
Mains Question:
Why is tracking migration important for nutrition Schemes? How can it help for better implementation of different nutritional schemes? Critically Analyse. (150 Words)
