National Nutrition Programmes Questions and Answers

Answer: A

The correct matching is a-III, b-IV, c-I, d-II.

• The Anaemia Prophylaxis Programme was run by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (III).
• The Mid-day Meal Programme is run through the Ministry of Education (IV).
• The Special Nutrition Programme (1970) was run by the Ministry of Social Welfare (I).
• The Applied Nutrition Programme was implemented through community development blocks under the Ministry of Rural Development (II).

Option C pairs the lists in printed order, putting the anaemia programme under social welfare.

Answer: A

The correct matching is a-IV, b-I, c-II, d-III.

• The Balwadi Nutrition Programme served children aged 3 to 6 in rural balwadis (IV).
• ICDS provides an integrated package for early childhood development and care (I).
• The Special Nutrition Programme targeted children of 1 to 6 years and pregnant (and nursing) women (II).
• The Applied Nutrition Programme focused on producing more vegetables and fruits locally and getting children, pregnant and lactating women to eat them (III).

Option B pairs the lists in printed order, which would make the Balwadi programme the umbrella childhood development scheme.

Answer: C

ICDS was initiated in 1975.

The Integrated Child Development Services scheme began on 2 October 1975 in 33 blocks. Through anganwadi centres it provides supplementary nutrition, immunisation, health check-ups, referral services, preschool education and nutrition and health education for children under six, pregnant women and lactating mothers.

1972, 1980 and 1985 are not the year it started.

Answer: D

The programme that does not exist is Mahatma Gandhi Bal Poshan Karyakram.

The other three are real national programmes: Anemia Mukt Bharat (2018) tackles anaemia across age groups, POSHAN Abhiyaan (2018) is the national nutrition mission, and Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (2013) screens children for diseases, deficiencies, disabilities and developmental delays.

The name in option D is a made-up combination; the school feeding scheme, for example, is called PM POSHAN.

Answer: B

The ones who are not beneficiaries are senior citizens.

The anganwadi centre, under ICDS, serves children from birth to six years, pregnant women, and nursing (lactating) mothers, providing supplementary nutrition, immunization, health check-ups, referral, pre-school education and nutrition and health education. Adolescent girls are also covered under related schemes.

Senior citizens are not a target group of the anganwadi; their needs are met by other schemes, such as old-age pensions.

Answer: C

The weekly dose of iron is 100 mg.

Under the Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation programme, launched in 2012 for adolescents aged 10 to 19 years, each beneficiary takes one tablet a week containing 100 mg of elemental iron and 500 micrograms of folic acid, supervised at school or the anganwadi, with biannual deworming.

60 mg is the dose that replaced it for adolescents under Anaemia Mukt Bharat later in 2018, after this paper was set, and is also the daily dose for pregnant women; 80 mg and 120 mg are not WIFS doses.

Answer: B

Infant and young child feeding (IYCF) is promoted by UNICEF.

UNICEF, together with WHO, drew up the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding (2003) and runs IYCF programmes in India and elsewhere: early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding for six months and timely complementary feeding. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative is also a WHO-UNICEF effort.

The World Bank is a development lender, the FAO deals with food production and food security, and the CDC is a public-health agency of the United States government; none of them is the lead agency for IYCF.

Answer: C

The first massive dose is given with the measles vaccination.

Under India's vitamin A prophylaxis programme, the first dose of 1,00,000 IU of vitamin A is given at about 9 months of age, together with the measles vaccine (now measles-rubella). Later doses of 2,00,000 IU follow every six months up to five years, the second with the measles booster.

BCG is given at birth, long before the vitamin A schedule begins, and the programme pairs the first dose with the measles vaccine at nine months, not with rubella or chickenpox vaccination.

Answer: B

NIDDCP is the National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Program.

India's National Goitre Control Programme of 1962 was renamed the National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Programme in 1992 to cover the whole range of disorders caused by iodine deficiency, from goitre to cretinism and mental impairment. Universal iodisation of salt is its main strategy.

The other expansions misread the letters: 'Development' and 'Disease' replace 'Disorders', and 'Iron' replaces 'Iodine'.

Answer: C

SABLA targets adolescent girls.

SABLA, the Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls, was launched in 2010 for girls aged 11 to 18 and run through anganwadi centres. Its nutrition component gave take-home rations and iron and folic acid supplements to improve their nutrition and iron status, alongside health education, life skills and vocational training.

Pregnant women and women of reproductive age are covered by other programmes, such as ICDS supplementary nutrition and anaemia control, and school children by the mid-day meal scheme and weekly iron supplementation.