In order to improve nutrition attainment in the State, the Odisha Government has formulated a massive Nutrition Budget with a kitty of more than Rs 41,000 crore. For the first time, such a huge allocation has been made during 2022-23.
While investment in nutritional interventions for children, adolescent girls and women is the utmost priority of the State Government, a huge hike in allocation in this sensitive sector will go a long way for improving nutritional outcomes in the State, sources said.
According to the Budget Estimate, the Nutrition Budget holds more than 20 percent of the total Annual Budget, focusing keenly on bettering the nutritional status of most vulnerable section such as children and women.
And accordingly, the State has made strategic budgetary intervention for which Rs 41,239.62 crore has been allocated in the Nutrition Budget for 2022-23.
Sources said that the Nutrition Budget helps prioritise the allocation of financial resources for all schemes and programmes addressing nutrition in the State.
The Odisha Government is implementing 24 nutrition specific and 132 nutrition sensitive schemes. The largest number of nutrition specific schemes is implemented by the departments of Women and Child Development, Food Supply and Consumer Welfare and School and Mass Education.
Similarly, nutrition sensitive schemes are implemented by departments of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, Fisheries and Animal Resources Development and Women and Child Development.
While nutrition sensitive components comprise 84.62 percent, nutrition specific components account for 14.38 percent of the Nutrition Budget.
The nutrition specific sector has been allocated Rs 5,408.72 crore and the nutrition sensitive sector has got Rs 35,830.90 crore.
In fact, such an initiative has helped the State as it is a frontrunner of many health and nutritional indicators. There has been a significant increase in early child health indicators such as early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding, complementary feeding and adequate diet diversity in children, which are above the national averages.
Odisha has ranked No.1 in the country in terms of indexing IYCF indicators.
A big leap in children receiving adequate diet has been one of the most remarkable and noteworthy achievements. This is one of the most important determinants in reducing stunting in children.
While Odisha is on a mission mode to improve nutritional status of its citizens, specifically children, women, more schemes and programmes are included in 2022-23, sources said.