The POSHAN Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission) launched in 2018 has set specific targets to be achieved by 2022. Which of the following is the CORRECT target for reduction of stunting in children under 5?
- A Reduce stunting from 38.4% to 25% (absolute reduction of 13.4 pp)
- B Reduce stunting by 3 percentage points per year
- C Reduce stunting by 2 percentage points per year ✓
- D Achieve less than 20% stunting in all states by 2022
Correct answer: C. Reduce stunting by 2 percentage points per year
Explanation
POSHAN Abhiyaan (PM's Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment) targets: reducing stunting, undernutrition, and low birth weight by 2% per year; reducing anaemia among women and children by 3% per year. The overall mission is to reduce stunting from ~38% to ~25% by 2022 — which mathematically requires >2% reduction per year. However, the stated annual TARGET is 2 percentage points per year reduction in stunting. POSHAN 2.0 (2021) merged POSHAN Abhiyaan, ICDS, and Poshan Abhiyaan under one umbrella for convergence of nutrition interventions.
Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
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