Anaemia is India’s most pervasive nutritional deficiency. With reference to the Anaemia Mukt Bharat 6×6×6 strategy, evaluate the welfare architecture for vulnerable groups.
Subtopic: Governance · Welfare Schemes for Vulnerable Sections
How to structure your answer
Introduction: Anaemia Mukt Bharat was launched in 2018 within the POSHAN Abhiyaan to address anaemia across six target beneficiary groups using six interventions and six institutional mechanisms.
Body: Three dimensions — (i) the 6×6×6 design — six beneficiary groups (under-5 children, school-age 5–9, adolescents 10–19, pregnant women, lactating mothers, women of reproductive age 20–49), six interventions (IFA prophylaxis and treatment, deworming, behaviour-change communication, fortified foods, malaria and haemoglobinopathy management); (ii) outcomes — NFHS-5 (2019-21) anaemia in 6–59 month children at 67% (up from 58.6% in NFHS-4); among non-pregnant women 15–49 at 57%; (iii) institutional gaps — supply-chain stockouts, low compliance with weekly IFA, sickle-cell exemption from rice fortification flagged by ICMR.
Way forward / Conclusion: Convergence with the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission (Budget 2023-24), dietary diversification via the National Mission on Edible Oils — Oilseeds, and proactive disclosure of district-level anaemia data are the next steps.
Written within the word limit
142 words · target 150 words · 9 min
Introduction: Anaemia Mukt Bharat was launched in 2018 within the POSHAN Abhiyaan to address India's most pervasive nutritional deficiency through a 6×6×6 framework of six target beneficiary groups, six interventions and six institutional mechanisms.
Body: Three dimensions evaluate the architecture. First, design — six beneficiaries (under-5 children, school-age 5-9, adolescents 10-19, pregnant women, lactating mothers, women of reproductive age 20-49) and six interventions including the Weekly Iron-Folic Acid Supplementation programme, deworming, behaviour-change communication, fortified foods, and malaria and haemoglobinopathy management. Second, outcomes — NFHS-5 (2019-21) records anaemia in 67% of children 6-59 months (up from 58.6% in NFHS-4) and 57% of women 15-49. Third, institutional gaps — supply-chain stockouts of IFA, low compliance, and ICMR's flagged sickle-cell exemption from mandatory rice fortification under PM POSHAN.
Conclusion: Convergence with the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission (Budget 2023-24), dietary diversification under Saksham Anganwadi, and district-level data disclosure are the next steps.
What an examiner expects to see
- Anaemia Mukt Bharat launched 2018 under POSHAN Abhiyaan
- 6×6×6 framework — six beneficiaries, six interventions, six institutions
- NFHS-5 anaemia: 67% in children 6–59 months, 57% in women 15–49
- National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission (Budget 2023-24)
- Saksham Anganwadi and Mission POSHAN 2.0 (2021)
- FSSAI rice fortification — mandatory in PDS, ICDS, PM POSHAN from April 2024
- Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation Programme for adolescents
Concrete cases, schemes and judgments
- Anaemia Mukt Bharat 2018
- National Sickle Cell Mission 2023
- Saksham Anganwadi
- PM POSHAN scheme
- FSSAI rice fortification rollout 2024