Master10
Public Health, Nutrition & Epidemics Module

ICMR Research, Nutrition Standards & POSHAN Abhiyaan

Nutritional well-being forms a vital cornerstone of human capital development in India, scientifically steered by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and its premier institution, the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) in Hyderabad. ICMR-NIN formulates the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) and Nutrient Requirements for Indians, incorporating balanced proportions of macronutrients and essential micronutrients like iron, iodine, and vitamin A. The government's flagship programme, POSHAN Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission) and POSHAN 2.0, targets stunting, wasting, underweight prevalence among children, and anaemia among adolescent girls and lactating mothers. Synergistic initiatives like Anaemia Mukt Bharat, rice fortification, and Fortified Foods combat hidden hunger across vulnerable demographics.

Key Concepts & Examination Highlights

  • The National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), founded in 1918 and based in Hyderabad, is a premier research institute under ICMR.
  • POSHAN Abhiyaan (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition) was launched in March 2018 from Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan.
  • The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) uses the '+F' logo to designate fortified staple food products.
  • Anaemia Mukt Bharat utilizes the 6x6x6 strategy targeting six beneficiary groups through six interventions and six institutional mechanisms.
  • The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), established in 1911 as the Indian Research Fund Association (IRFA) and renamed in 1949, is the apex biomedical research body in India.
  • ICMR-NIN publishes the Dietary Guidelines for Indians and defines the Reference Indian Adult Man (65 kg) and Adult Woman (55 kg) for nutrient calculations.
  • POSHAN 2.0 integrates the Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) under Anganwadi Services, Scheme for Adolescent Girls, and POSHAN Abhiyaan into a unified nutrition support structure.
  • POSHAN Tracker is a mobile governance application deployed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development to track real-time nutritional delivery and growth metrics at Anganwadi centers.
  • The mandatory fortification of parboiled and raw rice distributed under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) and PM-POSHAN incorporates iron, folic acid, and vitamin B12.
  • The Eat Right India movement, spearheaded by FSSAI, promotes safe, healthy, and sustainable food consumption based on the Eat Right India regulatory framework.
  • National Nutrition Month (Rashtriya Poshan Maah) is celebrated annually across India throughout September to raise grassroots awareness regarding maternal and child nutrition.
  • According to ICMR-NIN 2020 RDA guidelines, the estimated daily energy requirement is approximately 2,110 kcal for a sedentary adult man and 1,660 kcal for a sedentary adult woman.
  • The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for daily dietary protein intake set by ICMR-NIN is 0.83 grams per kilogram of body weight per day for healthy Indian adults.
  • The National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune, a constituent institute of ICMR, isolated and characterized the SARS-CoV-2 virus in India and co-developed the indigenous whole-virion inactivated vaccine Covaxin with Bharat Biotech.
  • The National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED) Kolkata, functioning under ICMR, conducts specialized clinical and epidemiological research on diarrheal pathogens, cholera, and enteric illnesses.
  • Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in children under five years is defined by a Weight-for-Height Z-score below -3 standard deviations, mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) under 115 mm, or the presence of nutritional bilateral pitting edema.
  • Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) in young children is defined by a Weight-for-Height Z-score between -2 and -3 standard deviations or a MUAC measurement between 115 mm and 125 mm.
  • Nutritional stunting reflects chronic undernutrition and is defined as a Height-for-Age Z-score below -2 standard deviations, while nutritional wasting indicates acute undernutrition measured by a Weight-for-Height Z-score below -2 standard deviations.
  • Double burden of malnutrition refers to the coexistence of undernutrition (stunting and micronutrient deficiencies) alongside overnutrition (overweight, obesity, and diet-related non-communicable diseases) within the same population.
  • Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), established under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, regulates food fortification and issues the '+F' logo for fortified staple foods.
  • The Eat Right India movement, initiated by FSSAI, promotes healthy, safe, and sustainable diets based on the pillars of 'Eat Safe, Eat Healthy, and Eat Sustainable'.
  • Iron and Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation under Anaemia Mukt Bharat prescribes weekly IFA tablets for school-going children and daily IFA tablets for 180 days during pregnancy.
  • Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Days (VHSND) are organized once every month at Anganwadi centers to provide an outreach platform for maternal-child health checkups, immunization, and nutrition counseling.
  • Poshan Vatika (Nutri-gardens) are established at Anganwadi centers and government schools to supply locally grown fresh fruits, green leafy vegetables, and medicinal plants for daily supplementary feeding.
  • The Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) provides a direct cash incentive of Rs 5,000 (and Rs 6,000 for a second girl child) to pregnant and lactating mothers for nutritional support and wage loss compensation.
  • The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is funded by the Government of India through the Department of Health Research (DHR), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
  • ICMR-NIN 2020 guidelines increased the reference adult body weights from 60 kg to 65 kg for adult men and from 50 kg to 55 kg for adult women to reflect updated anthropometric data.
  • The Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) is the daily nutrient intake level estimated to meet the requirement of half the healthy individuals in a particular life stage and gender group.
  • Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) is the highest average daily nutrient intake level likely to pose no risk of adverse health effects to almost all individuals in the general population.
  • The Indian Food Composition Tables (IFCT 2017), published by ICMR-NIN, provide detailed nutritional data on 528 key foods across 151 nutritional parameters including macro- and micro-nutrients.
  • POSHAN Abhiyaan set specific multi-year targets to reduce stunting, undernutrition, and low birth weight by 2% per annum, and anemia among young children, women, and adolescent girls by 3% per annum.
  • Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 upgrades 200,000 Anganwadi centers across India into Saksham Anganwadis equipped with smart learning aids, clean drinking water, and Poshan Vatikas.
  • PM POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman), formerly known as the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, provides cooked hot nutritious lunches to children in government and government-aided primary and upper primary schools.
  • The fortified rice distributed under PM POSHAN and public food welfare schemes incorporates Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK) blended with regular milled rice at a ratio of 1:100.
  • The National Family Health Survey (NFHS), conducted under the stewardship of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare by IIPS Mumbai, provides authoritative national and district-level health and nutrition indicators.
  • NFHS-5 (2019-21) reported that nationally 35.5% of children under 5 years are stunted, 19.3% are wasted, 32.1% are underweight, and 67.1% of children aged 6-59 months suffer from anemia.
  • Anaemia Mukt Bharat utilizes point-of-care digital hemoglobinometers for screening and promotes delayed cord clamping by at least 3 minutes after birth to improve infant iron stores.
  • National Deworming Day (NDD) is observed biannually across India on February 10 and August 10, administering a single dose of Albendazole (400 mg) to children aged 1 to 19 years to treat soil-transmitted helminths.
  • Vitamin A supplementation (VAS) under the national child health program administers nine mega-doses of oral Vitamin A liquid syrup (100,000 IU at 9 months, and 200,000 IU every 6 months up to 5 years).
  • The National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Programme (NIDDCP), launched in 1962, mandates universal iodization of edible salt to maintain iodine levels above 15 ppm at the consumer level.
  • The FSSAI 'Trans Fat Free' logo can be displayed by food establishments if their industrial trans fatty acid levels are within 0.2 grams per 100 grams of food product.
  • FSSAI capped the maximum permissible limit of industrially produced trans fatty acids to not more than 2% by weight in all fats and oils in India starting from January 2022.
  • The Food Fortification Resource Centre (FFRC) is a dedicated resource center set up by FSSAI in collaboration with developmental partners to promote large-scale food fortification across staple foods.
  • The ICMR-National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH) in Ahmedabad conducts specialized research on occupational toxicology, occupational lung diseases, and workplace health standards.
  • The ICMR-Vector Control Research Centre (VCRC) in Puducherry is a global WHO collaborating center for research and training in lymphatic filariasis and vector biology.
  • The ICMR-National AIDS Research Institute (NARI) in Pune leads biomedical and clinical trials on HIV/AIDS therapeutics, immunology, and socio-behavioral prevention.
  • The ICMR-Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS) in Patna is dedicated to epidemiological and clinical research on visceral leishmaniasis (Kala-azar).
  • The National Health Portal (NHP) and the Ayush Portal provide verified health, wellness, and nutritional information to citizens across multiple Indian languages.
  • The State Nutrition Profiles (SNPs) prepared by NITI Aayog compile comprehensive district-level nutrition scorecards to guide localized policymaking under POSHAN Abhiyaan.
  • The Poshan Pakhwada is a fortnight-long nationwide nutrition awareness drive organized every year in March across all states and union territories under POSHAN Abhiyaan.
Curriculum & Reference Sources: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), FSSAI.

Sample Solved Questions & Concept Explanations

8 Verified Concept Questions
Q1.EASY

In which Indian city is the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), the premier national research institute for nutritional guidelines under ICMR, located?

Q2.MEDIUM

Which standardized endorsement logo is mandated by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on packaged food staples to indicate scientific micronutrient fortification?

Q3.HARD

The national strategy for anaemia reduction in India, known as 'Anaemia Mukt Bharat', is structured around which specific institutional framework?

Q4.EASY

In which year was the flagship POSHAN Abhiyaan (Prime Minister's Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition / National Nutrition Mission) launched by the Government of India from Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan?

Q5.EASY

Deficiency of Vitamin A (retinol) in young children primarily leads to which clinical ocular condition?

Q6.EASY

Deficiency of which dietary mineral is the primary environmental cause of endemic goitre, cretinism, and mental impairment in children?

Q7.EASY

Which fat-soluble vitamin synthesized in the human skin upon exposure to solar UVB radiation is essential for intestinal calcium absorption and bone mineralization?

Q8.EASY

Severe deficiency of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) causes which classic nutritional deficiency disorder characterized by spongy bleeding gums, skin petechiae, and delayed wound healing?