New Delhi: The BJP on Tuesday highlighted the government's measures to boost nutrition among children and asserted that eliminating hunger and malnutrition is India's goal. Union minister Meenakshi Lekhi noted that 'poshan abhiyaan' (nutrition campaign) was launched on a big scale in March, 2018 with focus on the first 1,000 days of new-born babies. The goal was to first bring stunting rate down to 25 per cent from 38.4 per cent among children up to the age of six years, and the government launched a host of programmes with focus on pregnant women, babies and their mothers, she said.
Schemes like free grains, nutrition national health mission helped in this regard, Lekhi told reporters. She was addressing a press conference as part of the BJP's "social justice" campaign to highlight the government's initiatives specific to certain sectors or groups. The BJP said over 7.31 lakh MT of fortified rice has been distributed for children and lactating mothers, and over 11.35 crore beneficiaries were added to the nutrition campaign.