POSHAN EXPLORES MULTISECTORAL APPROACHES FOR IMPROVING NUTRITION IN INDIA
Source: flickr (Pippa Ranger/DFID)
A POSHAN-supported consultation on multisectoral approaches to improve maternal and child nutrition in India brought together key policymakers and policy advisers from a variety of ministries at the national level and from the Indian states of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. This event, held on May 28th2013, highlighted lessons and experiences from other countries and from India, with the goal of stimulating discussion on how multisectoral approaches could be strengthened in India.
At the consultation, James Garrett, Senior Research Fellow at IFPRI, who led a review of global experiences with implementing multisectoral programs for nutrition for POSHAN, explained “we know eradicating child malnutrition requires bringing together various organizations from across multiple sectors to do their work.” Several countries around the world, including India, have embraced multisectoral approaches to promote maternal and child nutrition, but more systematic evidence is needed on how to strengthen these actions.
Strong support for multisectoral actions for nutrition came from national-level policy actors, including representatives from the Planning Commission of India, the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Ministry of Drinking and Water Supply, and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Sessions at the workshop were chaired by Mrs. Vandana Kumari Jena, Principal Advisor in the Planning Commission, Dr. Santosh Mehrotra, Director of the Institute for Applied Manpower Research and Dr. Shreeranjan, Joint Secretary to the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
Dr. Shreeranjan shared an overview of the Ministry’s plans for working multisectorally to address undernutrition in 200 high-burden districts in India. Mrs. Veena Rao, Advisor to the Karnataka Nutrition Mission, Arti Ahuja, Secretary in the Ministry of Women and Child Development for the Government of Odisha, and delegates from Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh presented on their rich experiences working multisectorally at the state level.
The consultation proceedings will feed into a POSHAN policy note. Stay tuned!
For meeting materials, click here. For presentations, see below.
