Multisectoral Approach to Nutrition: India
Funding support: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

India’s Multisectoral Approach to Nutrition: Policy Review - I
• National Nutrition Policy (NNP) 1993: Calls for inter-ministerial coordination to implement
sectorial actions with nutritional considerations.
• Inter-ministerial Coordination Committee set up in light of NNP, adopts a National Plan of
Action on Nutrition (NPAN) in 1995.
• Ninth Five Year Plan (1998-2002) shows India’s progress in achieving sectoral commitments
to nutrition as indicated in the NPAN.
• Tenth Five Year Plan (2002-2007) recommends set up of a National Nutrition Mission (NNM)
to coordinate and monitor implementation of NNP.
• NNM set up in 2003 to revise and operationalize the NNP and NPAN keeping with current
context.
• No mention of NNP, NPAN and NNM in Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012).

India’s Multisectoral Approach to Nutrition: Policy Review II
• Prime Minister’s National Council on India’s Nutritional Challenges set up in 2008 for effective
coordination between ministries with sectoral commitments to nutrition.
• Planning Commission convenes a regular multisectoral review mechanism to list
commitments for nutrition by different ministries: this to form the core of a renewed NPAN.
• Planning Commission anchors Multi-stakeholder Retreat in August 2010 which recommended
a multisectoral programme for mother and child malnutrition prevention in high burden
districts.
• Prime Minister’s National Council on India’s Nutritional Challenges has its first meeting and
decides to introduce a multisectoral programme in 200 high burden districts.
• Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-2017) calls for strengthening NPAN and introducing a
multisectoral programme to address maternal and child nutrition in 200 high burden districts,
indicates sectoral actions towards nutrition for different ministries. Institutional
arrangements include setting up of nutrition councils at state and district level

India Working Multisectorally – State Level
• Madhya Pradesh: Atal Bal Aarogya Evam Poshan Mission set up in 2010, adopts convergent
planning by departments of Women And Child Development (WCD), Health and Family Welfare
(HFW), Panchayat, Rural Development, Tribal Welfare, Food and Civil Supplies, Engineering and
School Education.
• Karnataka: Karnataka Nutrition Mission set up in 2010, has achieving convergence between on-
going nutrition programmes as one of its main components. So far involves the Agriculture
department besides WCD and HFW but open to involving more.
• Andhra Pradesh: Maarpu involving departments of WCD, HFW and an NGO called Society for
Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP), and Community based heath and nutrition programme under
Indira Kranti Pratham involving departments of WCD, HFW and Rural Development and SERP.
• Maharashtra: Rajmata Jigau Mother- Child Health and Nutrition Mission set up in 2005 involves
only WCD and HFW with the latter playing more of an advisory role.
• Gujarat: Gujarat State Nutrition Mission set up in 2012 involving departments of WCD, HFW,
Education, Food and Civil Supplies, Water, Panchayat, Rural Development, Urban Development etc.

Key Findings from India
• Policy direction and political commitment for multisectoral action in India is strong.
• Strong demand for multisectoral coordination is seen at the grassroot level where frontline
workers converging actions is not rare
• Operational guidelines for multisectoral programme initiation, design, implementation and
monitoring doesn’t seem to be in place
• State level commitments to working multisectorally there mostly through dedicated missions
but operational details are not clear
• State’s linkage with the National level Multisectoral Programme in 200 high burden districts is
not clear.