Kevadia (Gujarat), Jun 17 (PTI) The government is evaluating the data collected by its Poshan Tracker, which is used to measure malnutrition in children, through a third party to ensure validity of the data collected by the app, a senior official said.
Malnutrition refers to deficiencies, excesses, or imbalances in a person’s intake of energy and/or nutrients.
The government has launched an app Poshan Tracker using which anganwadis add parameters like weight and height of the child to ascertain if it is malnourished or not.
However, the ministry is now re-evaluating the data collected through the app through third party, the official said.
The official said third parties like World Bank will evaluate the data.
The number of children found to be Severe Acute Malnourished is close to 2 per cent and moderate acute malnutrition is 5 per cent which is much less than the number that has been enunciated in the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data according to the Poshan Tracker but to be sure the data is being re-evaluated.
According to the NFHS-5, 35.5 per cent of children below five years were stunted and 32.1 per cent were underweight in 2019-21. Seven per cent out of 1.8 crore registered on the Poshan Tracker were found malnourished, the official said citing the data provided by the mobile-based application.
The official also said that Poshan Tracker gives a much larger database than the NFHS data.
The comments come around the time Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be launching a scheme under which a poshan kit comprising pulses and oil would be given to them.
The scheme would be launched on Saturday in Vadodara.
The Mukhyamantri Matrushakti Yojna (MMY) would have beneficiaries who are registered and availing ICDS services and those on the state’s health system having health ID, said Avantika Darji, Joint Director, ICDS.
She elaborated that under the scheme, 4 kg of a monthly poshan kit will be given.
“The kit would include 1 kg tuvar dal, 2 kg chana and one litre fortified groundnut oil,” she said.
The poshan kit would be given through OTP based distribution system.
She further said that seven lakh beneficiaries under the scheme have been registered in the portal.
“A total of Rs 811 crore have been allocated. This is the first scheme for the 1,000 days of mothers,” she said.
The prime minister would be re-launching another scheme Poshan Sudha from six tribal villages to all 14 tribal districts in Gujarat under which one full meal will be cooked by anganwadi and given five days a week.
“There are families who eat left over that is why they will be given this cooked food by anganwadis under this scheme,” Darji said. PTI UZM CK
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