The ingredient to turn around nutrition outcomes, Pg8

• Despite schemes like POSHAN Abhiyaan, nutrition inequality persists for women and girls in India.
• NFHS-5 data: 57% women (15–49 yrs) anaemic vs 26% men; nearly 1 in 5 women underweight.
• In FY 2022–23, only 69% of POSHAN funds were utilised.
• Women's lack of economic and decision-making power leads to poor nutritional outcomes.
• Empowerment and financial independence strongly linked to improved nutrition.
• 5% of working women have salaried jobs; majority are in informal or insecure employment.

Detailed Insights:

• Gendered malnutrition: Cultural norms and food hierarchy push women’s needs last; nutrition is a social justice issue, not just biomedical.
• POSHAN Abhiyaan: Aims to improve nutrition among women and children but fails due to structural and empowerment gaps.
• Underutilisation of funds and weak targeting mean that awareness alone isn’t enough—women must have the means to access nutritious food.
• Empirical evidence (e.g., Esther Duflo’s studies) shows women spend more on nutrition when they control income.
• Employment without decision-making power doesn’t translate into better nutrition or health.
• POSHAN 2.0 must integrate livelihoods and ensure cross-sectoral coordination to be effective.

Key Concepts:

• Nutritional Inequality: Disparities in food access and health outcomes based on gender and social status.
• Empowerment-Nutrition Link: Financial control and autonomy lead to better dietary decisions for women.
• Siloed Governance: Lack of coordination among departments (health, nutrition, livelihoods) reduces impact.

Significance:

• Highlights the intersection of gender, economics, and nutrition.
• Underscores need to converge welfare schemes with women’s empowerment and income-generation efforts.
• Moves the conversation beyond food access to dignity, autonomy, and structural transformation.
• A model for holistic human development, especially in undernourished districts.

Mains Mock Question:

“Despite large-scale nutritional programmes like POSHAN Abhiyaan, undernutrition among women persists. Analyse the structural and socio-economic factors behind this trend and suggest policy-level reforms to address them.”