Chapter 3 · Topic 3.3 · Prelims + Mains3 of 3

Health: Nutrition and malnutrition

Key points

NFHS-5 (2019-21), under 5: stunted 35.5%, wasted 19.3%, underweight 32.1%; anaemic (6-59 months) 67.1%.
Malnutrition is an equity issue (2026): higher among poor, SC/ST and less educated households.
Break the cycle (2024): first 1,000 days, fortified rice, millets, water and sanitation, girls' education.
Anaemia Mukt Bharat: iron and folic acid, not calcium.

10 PYQs 2017–2026

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Prelims box: facts and traps

Prelims 2017 (POSHAN Abhiyaan): awareness and anaemia reduction only: (a).
Prelims 2023 (Anaemia Mukt Bharat): three statements correct: (c).

Nutrition and malnutrition

Quick answerMalnutrition means the body does not get the right food to grow and stay healthy. In India over a third of young children are too short for their age, and two in three are anaemic (short of iron-rich blood).

Like a plant in poor soil: small, and its seeds start weak.

Stunted means long-term undernutrition; wasted means recent, acute hunger.

Indicator, children under 5 (NFHS-5, 2019-21)	Share
Stunted (short for age)	35.5%
Wasted (thin for height)	19.3%
Underweight	32.1%
Anaemic (6-59 months)	67.1%

Source: National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21).

Mains 2026 said malnutrition is not merely a public health concern; it is also a challenge of social equity, human development and effective welfare governance.

Equity: malnutrition is higher among poor, SC/ST and less educated households.
Development: it cuts learning and earnings. Governance: it depends on how well Anganwadis (child-care centres), the PDS and mid-day meals deliver.

Asked by UPSCUPSC Mains 2026 · GS Paper II · Q7 · 10 marks

Malnutrition in India is not merely a public health concern; it is also a challenge of social equity, human development and effective welfare governance. Discuss.

Mains 2024: “Poverty and malnutrition create a vicious cycle, adversely affecting human capital formation.” Steps to break it: first 1,000 days care (pregnancy to age two), fortified rice, millets, clean water and sanitation, and girls’ education.

Asked by UPSCUPSC Mains 2024 · GS Paper II · Q7 · 10 marks

Poverty and malnutrition create a vicious cycle, adversely affecting human capital formation. What steps can be taken to break the cycle?

Prelims 2017, the ‘National Nutrition Mission’ (POSHAN Abhiyaan). Objectives: awareness among pregnant and lactating women, and less anaemia among young children, adolescent girls and women. Millets and eggs were not listed: answer (a).

Asked by UPSCUPSC Prelims 2017 · GS Paper I · Q23

Which of the following are the objectives of ‘National Nutrition Mission’ ? 1. To create awareness relating to malnutrition among pregnant women and lactating mothers. 2. To reduce the incidence of anaemia among young children, adolescent girls and women. 3. To promote the consumption of millets, coarse cereals and unpolished rice. 4. To promote the consumption of poultry eggs. Select the correct answer using the code given below :

1 and 2 only
1, 2 and 3 only
1, 2 and 4 only
3 and 4 only

Show answer

Answer: (a) · UPSC official key

Prelims 2023, the Anaemia Mukt Bharat Strategy.

Statement 1 (wrong): it gives prophylactic (preventive) iron and folic acid, not calcium.
Correct: delayed cord clamping; periodic deworming; attention to non-nutritional causes such as malaria, haemoglobinopathies (inherited blood disorders) and fluorosis.
Three statements are correct: answer (c).

Asked by UPSCUPSC Prelims 2023 · GS Paper I · Q52

Consider the following statements in the context of interventions being undertaken under Anaemia Mukt Bharat Strategy : 1. It provides prophylactic calcium supplementation for pre-school children, adolescents and pregnant women. 2. It runs a campaign for delayed cord clamping at the time of child-birth. 3. It provides for periodic deworming to children and adolescents. 4. It addresses non-nutritional causes of anaemia in endemic pockets with special focus on malaria, hemoglobinopathies and fluorosis. How many of the statements given above are correct?

Only one
Only two
Only three
All four

Show answer

Answer: (c) · UPSC official key

What UPSC asks: Prelims: stunting 35.5%; iron, not calcium. Mains: anaemia 67.1% and malnutrition as an equity issue.

Mains box: analysis and answer points

Link malnutrition to learning, earnings and delivery by Anganwadis, PDS and mid-day meals.

Practice

Prelims PYQs on this topic (8)

UPSC Prelims 2024 · GS Paper I

With reference to the ‘Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan’, consider the following statements :

1. This scheme guarantees a minimum package of antenatal care services to women in their second and third trimesters of pregnancy and six months post-delivery health care service in any government health facility.
2. Under this scheme, private sector health care providers of certain specialities can volunteer to provide services at nearby government health facilities.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Answer (b) & explanation

Only statement 2 is correct (b). Statement 2 is right: under the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA, 2016), private doctors, such as obstetricians, volunteer their services at government facilities, under the "I Pledge for 9" call. Statement 1 is wrong: the scheme offers free, assured antenatal check-ups in the second and third trimesters on a fixed day, the 9th of every month. It does not include six months of post-delivery care.

Notice the aim: to cut maternal and infant deaths by catching high-risk pregnancies early. Related schemes include Janani Suraksha Yojana (cash for institutional delivery), PM Matru Vandana Yojana (₹5,000 for the first child) and LaQshya (labour room quality).

Trap

The antenatal part of statement 1 is accurate. The extra "six months post-delivery" clause is what makes it wrong.

Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.

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UPSC Prelims 2023 · GS Paper I

Consider the following statements in relation to Janani Suraksha Yojana :

1. It is a safe motherhood intervention of the State Health Departments.
2. Its objective is to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality among poor pregnant women.
3. It aims to promote institutional delivery among poor pregnant women.
4. Its objective includes providing public health facilities to sick infants up to one year of age.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

Answer (b) & explanation

Two statements are correct (b). Statement 2 is right: Janani Suraksha Yojana (2005) aims to cut maternal and newborn deaths among poor pregnant women. Statement 3 is right: it does this by giving them cash to deliver in a hospital or health centre, with ASHA workers guiding them. Statement 1 is wrong: it is a safe-motherhood intervention under the National Health Mission of the Union Health Ministry, not a scheme of the State health departments, though States run it. Statement 4 is wrong: free care for sick infants up to one year comes under the separate Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK, 2011).

Notice the result: institutional deliveries rose to about 89% by NFHS-5, and India's maternal mortality ratio has fallen below 100 per lakh live births.

Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.

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UPSC Prelims 2023 · GS Paper I

Consider the following statements :

Statement-I : India’s public sector health care system largely focuses on curative care with limited preventive, promotive and rehabilitative care.

Statement-II : Under India’s decentralized approach to health care delivery, the States are primarily responsible for organizing health services.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Answer (b) & explanation

Both statements are correct but II does not explain I (b). Statement I is right: the National Health Policy 2017 itself notes that public health care is mostly curative, treating illness after it strikes, with limited preventive, promotive and rehabilitative care. Statement II is right: public health and hospitals are on the State List, so States are mainly responsible for running health services. But II does not explain I: the curative focus comes from priorities and funding, not from decentralisation.

Notice the shift under Ayushman Bharat (2018): its Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, the former Health and Wellness Centres, push primary and preventive care, while PM-JAY pays for hospital treatment. Public health spending is still below the target of 2.5% of GDP.

Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.

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UPSC Prelims 2022 · GS Paper I

Consider the following statements :

1. The India Sanitation Coalition is a platform to promote sustainable sanitation and is funded by the Government of India and the World Health Organization.
2. The National Institute of Urban Affairs is an apex body of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in Government of India and provides innovative solutions to address the challenges of Urban India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Answer (d) & explanation

Neither statement is correct (d). Statement 1 is wrong: the India Sanitation Coalition was launched in 2015 at FICCI as a platform where companies, NGOs, donors and government work together on sanitation. It is not funded by the Government of India and the WHO. Statement 2 is wrong: the National Institute of Urban Affairs (1976) is an autonomous research and training institute that supports the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs; it is not the Ministry's apex body. It runs studies and projects such as the Smart Cities and climate work.

Notice the trap: UPSC slips in words like "funded by" or "apex body" to make a mostly true line wrong. The matching government mission is the Swachh Bharat Mission, launched on 2 October 2014.

Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.

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UPSC Prelims 2020 · GS Paper I

With reference to the funds under Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), which of the following statements are correct ?

1. MPLADS funds must be used to create durable assets like physical infrastructure for health, education, etc.
2. A specified portion of each MP’s fund must benefit SC/ST populations.
3. MPLADS funds are sanctioned on yearly basis and the unused funds cannot be carried forward to the next year.
4. The district authority must inspect at least 10% of all works under implementation every year.

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

Answer (d) & explanation

Statements 1, 2 and 4 are correct (d). Under MPLADS, started in 1993, each MP gets ₹5 crore a year for local works. Statement 1 is right because the money must be used for durable community assets, such as roads, school buildings, health centres and drinking water. Statement 2 is right because at least 15% must go to areas with SC people and 7.5% to areas with ST people. Statement 4 is right because the district authority must inspect at least 10% of works each year. Statement 3 is wrong because MPLADS funds are non-lapsable: unspent money carries forward to the next year.

The scheme was suspended for two years in 2020–22 to fund COVID relief. Notice the 2023 guidelines, which moved funds to an online e-SAKSHI portal for tracking.

Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.

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UPSC Prelims 2018 · GS Paper I

Consider the following statements :

1. The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 replaced the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954.
2. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is under the charge of Director General of Health Services in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Answer (a) & explanation

Only statement 1 is correct (a). The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 combined several older food laws, including the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, the Fruit Products Order and the Milk and Milk Products Order, into one law (1). Statement 2 is wrong because FSSAI, set up in 2008, is a statutory body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It is headed by a Chairperson, with a CEO, and it is not under the Director General of Health Services.

FSSAI sets food standards, licenses food businesses, and runs campaigns such as Eat Right India and the trans-fat limit of 2% (2022). Notice the State Food Safety Index and FSSAI's recent moves on front-of-pack labels.

Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.

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