Current Affairs · · GS2 · Social Justice

Double-fortified salt pitched as low-cost boost to Anaemia Mukt Bharat

A Hindu opinion piece argues that double-fortified salt, carrying both iodine and iron, could cheaply cut anaemia at scale and should be distributed nationwide, including through the PDS. It comes months after the government revised Anaemia Mukt Bharat into a 7×7×7 strategy. More than half of India's women and two-thirds of young children are anaemic.

Event date:

REq1
  1. Note1 / 5

    WHY IN NEWS?

    • An opinion piece in The Hindu calls for nationwide use of double-fortified salt (DFS) to fight iron-deficiency anaemia.
    • The writers say DFS currently reaches about 7.6 crore people in four States through safety-net programmes.
    • They estimate it costs ₹14–20 per person a year.
    • On 29 June 2026, the Health Ministry released revised guidelines turning the programme into Anaemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan with a 7×7×7 framework.
  2. Note2 / 5

    THE REVISED ANAEMIA MUKT BHARAT

    FeatureOriginal (2018)Revised (2026)
    Framework6×6×67×7×7
    New beneficiary group–Low-birth-weight babies, 0–6 months
    New intervention–"Eating right": iron-rich, diverse diets
    New institutional mechanism–Digital monitoring through a single portal
    Service approachT3: Test, Treat, TalkT4: Test, Treat, Talk, Track

    The revision shifts focus from prevention alone to diagnosis, treatment and follow-up, including intravenous iron for severe cases in pregnancy.

  3. Note3 / 5

    KEY CONCEPTS

    1. What is anaemia?

    It is when blood has too little haemoglobin, the iron-rich protein that carries oxygen. It causes fatigue and harms pregnancy outcomes and children's development.

    1. How common is it in India?

    NFHS-5 (2019–21) found 57% of women aged 15–49 and 67.1% of children aged 6–59 months anaemic.

    1. What is double-fortified salt?

    It is iodised salt with added iron. Because almost every household uses salt daily, it can deliver iron without changing diets.

    1. Is all anaemia caused by iron deficiency?

    No. It can also come from other nutrient gaps, infections, worms and inherited blood disorders such as thalassaemia and sickle-cell disease.

  4. Note4 / 5

    THE CASE AND THE CAVEATS

    These points are the writers' argument, with caveats noted.

    • Reach: About 95% of households already use iodised salt, offering ready infrastructure.
    • Evidence: The writers cite studies showing DFS improves iron status and reduces anaemia.
    • Standards: FSSAI has set a DFS standard, and it is mandated in PM POSHAN and ICDS.
    • Barriers: Uptake through the PDS remains uneven as it depends on States.
    • Caveat on salt: Fortification must align with efforts to reduce salt intake.
    • Caveat on causes: People with conditions such as thalassaemia need screening, not just more iron.
  5. Note5 / 5

    WAY FORWARD

    These are the writers' suggestions, not adopted policy.

    • Scale up through the PDS with central funding and quality checks.
    • Ensure quality: Independent testing of iron content and stability.
    • Screen alongside: Pair fortification with tests for haemoglobin disorders.
    • Make it available in the open market, with consumer awareness.
    • Monitor outcomes through the new AMB Abhiyaan portal.

Sources

Syllabus

PaperSubjectSub-topic
GS2Social JusticeHealth, nutrition, welfare schemes for vulnerable sections, PDS
GS3EconomyFood processing (fortification)
PrelimsSocial JusticeAnaemia Mukt Bharat, NFHS-5, FSSAI, fortification

Topics

GovernanceDiseasesHealth

Related previous-year questions

Asked in earlier UPSC Prelims papers on this topic. Answer, then check.

  1. UPSC Prelims 2023 · Science and Technology · Health

    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?

    1. Only one
    2. Only two
    3. Only three
    4. All four
    Show answer

    Answer: C. Statement 1 – INCORRECT: Anaemia Mukt Bharat is a public health scheme launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and UNICEF. A key intervention is to give Prophylactic Iron and Folic Acid supplementation to children, adolescents and women of reproductive age and pregnant women — NOT calcium supplementation. Statement 2 – CORRECT: The various behaviour change communication activities of the strategy will address four key behaviours, one of which is promoting practice of delayed cord clamping (by at least 3 minutes or until cord pulsations cease) in all health facility deliveries followed by early initiation of breastfeeding within 1 hour of birth. Statement 3 – CORRECT: Bi-annual mass deworming for children in the age groups between 1-19 years is carried out on designated dates — 10th February and 10th August every year under National Deworming Day (NDD) programme. The Anaemia Mukt Bharat also integrates deworming of women of reproductive age and for pregnant women. Statement 4 – CORRECT: The strategy attempts to intensify awareness and integrate screening and treatment for following non-nutritional causes of anaemia with special focus on malaria, haemoglobinopathies and fluorosis. Statements 2, 3 and 4 are correct → Option (c) Only three.

    Difficulty: hard · statement

    Open this question on its own page, with the full explanation →

  2. UPSC Prelims 2017 · International Relations and Current Affairs · Current Affairs

    Which of the following are the objectives of the ‘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. 1 and 2 only
    2. 1, 2 and 3 only
    3. 1, 2 and 4 only
    4. 3 and 4 only
    Show answer

    Answer: A. VERDICT: The answer is 1 and 2 only. The National Nutrition Mission aims to create awareness about malnutrition and to reduce anaemia, but not to promote millets or eggs. ANALYSIS: Statements 1 and 2 are CORRECT. The Mission comprises an information, education and communication campaign against malnutrition and a multi sectoral nutrition programme, with objectives including creating awareness among pregnant women and lactating mothers, promoting healthy lactation practices and balanced nutrition, and improving maternal and child undernutrition in high burden districts, which encompasses reducing anaemia. Statements 3 and 4 are INCORRECT. Promoting consumption of millets, coarse cereals and unpolished rice, or of poultry eggs, are dietary and agricultural policy objectives pursued through other programmes. SOURCE: Press Information Bureau release and press reporting on the Mission. Source type EM. HOW TO CRACK IT: Distinguish a nutrition mission's objectives from specific dietary prescriptions, because a mission operates through awareness, service delivery and convergence rather than by endorsing particular foods. Statements naming specific commodities are usually borrowed from agricultural or food security programmes. Ask what instrument the mission actually holds, and if it cannot deliver the stated objective through that instrument, the statement is out.

    Difficulty: hard · statement

    Open this question on its own page, with the full explanation →

Practice questions

  1. Under the revised Anaemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (2026), which beneficiary group was newly added?

    1. Elderly above 60
    2. Low-birth-weight babies aged 0–6 months
    3. Men aged 20–49
    4. Adolescent boys only.
    Show answer

    Answer: B. It turned the 6×6×6 framework into 7×7×7.

    Difficulty: medium · statement

  2. The "T4" approach under Anaemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan stands for:

    1. Test, Treat, Talk, Track
    2. Train, Test, Treat, Track
    3. Test, Treat, Transfer, Track
    4. Talk, Train, Treat, Test.
    Show answer

    Answer: A. It added "Track" to the earlier T3.

    Difficulty: medium · statement

  3. According to NFHS-5, about what share of children aged 6–59 months in India are anaemic?

    1. 35%
    2. 50%
    3. 67%
    4. 80%.
    Show answer

    Answer: C. The figure is 67.1%.

    Difficulty: medium · statement

Mains practice

Answer-writing practice on this article. Attempt it first, then open the hints.

  1. GS2 · 250 words

    Despite long-running programmes, anaemia remains widespread in India. Evaluate the role of food fortification, particularly double-fortified salt, within a broader anaemia strategy.

    Show hints
    1. NFHS-5
    2. AMB 7×7×7 and T4
    3. DFS reach and cost, PDS delivery
    4. salt reduction, haemoglobinopathies
    5. quality assurance.