I. Introduction:- A pilot project - 'Nutrition Programme for adolescent Girls' (NPAG) was launched by the Planning Commission initially for a period of 2 years, i.e .for 2002-03 and 2003-04 in 51 Districts in the country. The Government of India has approved the implementation of this scheme on a Pilot basis for the year 2005-06. The Department of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Human Resource Development will administer the scheme at the central level and State/ UT Government will implement the scheme through the concerned department in the State/UT.

The scheme will be continued in the year 2006-07 also on a pilot basis and will be implemented by the States/UTs Governments. The project will be taken up in 51 Districts identified by the Planning Commission in the country i.e. in two of the backward districts in each of the major states identified on the basis of ranking developed by R.D. Division of the Planning Commission and most populous district (excluding the capital district) in remaining smaller States/Uts (the list of Districts is enclosed). The funds for the Year 2005-06 are being given as 100% grant to states so that they can provide food grains through the Public Distribution System free of cost to the families of identified undernourished persons. The Ministry of Finance would be releasing the Special Additional Central Assistance (on 100% grant basis) to the State Governments. A provision for Rs.400/- per Anganwadi Centre per annum has been made towards IEC/Training and a provision for Rs.400/- per Anganwadi Centre per annum has been made for procurement/replacement of weighing scales (if required). Also there is a provision for Rs.200/- per Anganwadi Centre per annum for meeting the other operational costs.

The food-grains at BPL rates will be provided to the states for the programme. CDPO, Supervisors, Anganwadi workers hold the key for success of this programme. State Governments would have already procured the weighing machine locally and distributed the same to all the Anganwadi workers in the previous year.

II. Training:- The Anganwadi workers are already trained in weighing children. A short training course shall be given to ensure that they do follow appropriate quality control measures and accurately learn to weigh adolescent girls. As a part of the training programme, the Anganwadi workers, supervisors and the CDPO have to be trained to give appropriate nutrition education to the beneficiaries; it is expected that they in turn will impart the knowledge to community and families, bring about a change in the existing pattern of intra-familial distribution of food so that undernourished adolescent girls get their due share of the family food to meet their nutritional requirements. Improvement in food security of the family through the free food grain and improved intra-familial distribution of food as a result of nutrition education when coupled with health care can result in substantial improvement in the nutritional status of these undernourished individuals.

III. Operational Guidelines :-

1. AWWs should weigh all adolescent girls (11-19 years) in the community four times in a year. They should identify adolescent girls with body weight less than 35 kg. irrespective of financial status of the family to which they belong. List of the undernourished adolescent girls identified by the Anganwadi Worker will be placed before the Gram Sabha for approval. (However, since the scheme is being implemented on a pilot basis in the year 2005-06, and already three months have elapsed, the list of beneficiaries may be got ratified by the Gram Sabhas, after selection of the beneficiaries, in order to avoid any further delay).

2. The weighment should be done in the presence of a women Panchayat member.

3. AWWs should give the identified girls a signed note requesting the FPS shop to provide the family of the identified undernourished person 6 kg of food-grains (wheat/rice based on habitual consumption pattern of the state) totally free of cost. The Anganwadi workers will continue to sign the request every month for a period of three consecutive months to enable the family to collect 6 kg of food-grains totally free of cost from the FPS shops every month for three consecutive months.

4. The Supervisor/ women member of panchayat will randomly check about 5% of individuals who had been weighed for accuracy. Supervisor will ensure that accurate records of weights of girls are maintained at the Anganwadi, compiled and reported in the format prescribed. CDPO has to verify 1% of the cases randomly.

5. The Anganwadi workers and ICDS supervisors have to monitor and report every quarter the regularity of off-take of food-grains. If the families are not taking food-grains from FPS shops they should be persuaded to do so. In case there are any lacunae in the food-grains supply at FPS shop, the ICDS supervisors or CDPO should take up the matter at appropriate level and sort out the problem.

6. The AWWs should provide appropriate nutrition education to the beneficiaries and their families. The ANMs will provide necessary health education & health check-up to them and if any problem is detected, the beneficiaries with problem will be referred to the PHC doctor for advice and treatment.

7. At the end of three months, all these under nourished persons will be weighed again. Those who show improvement in nutritional status and hence cross the cut off point for weight or cross the eligible group (e.g. crossed 19 years) will no longer receive food-grains. Those persons who in spite of receiving food grains for three consecutive months have not shown improvement in nutritional status will be investigated by AWW/ANM and, if necessary, referred to the M edical Officer, PHC for investigation and treatment. They will, in the mean time, continue to receive free food grains for the next three months.

8. As a part of the routine weighment, all the other eligible persons (even those who were not covered in the earlier round) should also be weighed. Some of the persons who had earlier been above the cut off point may now be below the cut off point. They will be given food grains every month for the next three months.

2. In the first section, the list of all adolescent girls in the area should be mentioned alongwith their weight and the date of weighment. This list should be extracted from the Anganwadi Survey Register. This section should have the following format.

3. In the second section, the list of eligible girls has to be maintained. This list would be extracted from the first section. This is the growth monitoring section, in which the weight of the adolescent girl would be monitored once in three months. This section should have the following format.

The third section should give the details of the issue of authorization slip and have information in the following proforma.

6. The Fair Price shop shall collect all the authorization slips, and furnish an abstract to the AWW, in the following format, each quarter.

7.Every quarter AWW shall submit a report in the following format to the CDPO.

8. The CDPO shall consolidate the data and submit information to the State Government in the following format.

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