ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives on Wednesday launched “National multi-sectoral nutrition to reduce stunting and other forms of malnutrition” programme worth Rs8.5 billion under Pakistan Nutrition Initiatives (PANI).
According to the Planning Ministry, the formal launch was held at the Planning Ministry.
While speaking after the launch, the minister said that Pakistan is a country with a high level of food insecurity as per the National Nutrition Survey (NNS 2018) nearly 37 per cent of households are food insecure, with regions such as Balochistan and KP’s newly-merged districts being even worse.
This multi-sectoral programme is for 36 high-burdened stunted, calamity-hit, and backward districts of the country which includes 12 from Balochistan, 10 from Sindh, five from GB, AJ&K and Punjab two each.
The objective of the programme is to reduce stunting and other forms of malnutrition with a multi-sectoral approach. The other objectives of the project are provision of micronutrients and nutritional supplements etc.
Additionally, 40.2 per cent of children under the age of five suffer from stunted growth, 29 per cent are underweight, and 17.7 per cent are wasted, and these figures have remained stagnant for over three decades which is why under-nutrition accounts for nearly half of all deaths in children under five.
The most common deficiencies in Pakistan are those of iron, protein, vitamin A, vitamin D, Zinc, and folic acid. Iron deficiency, leading to issues like anemia, low birth weight, and poor weight gain, affects children the most in the first two years of life.
The NNS 2018 confirms that 49.1per cent of children in the country are iron deficient. He further added that the future of our children is at risk as 40per cent are stunted hence, we have launched PANI.
The minister added that according to the Global Hunger Index 2022 Pakistan ranks 99th out of 121 countries, indicating a “serious” level of hunger. He said that the 2022 monsoon flooding distressed nutrition indicators. He emphasized the importance of nutrition and its impact on growth and development.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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