National Nutrition Mission: North-Eastern States, UTs Outshine Others In Utilising Funds Released For The Scheme

Of the Rs 2,555 crore released by the Centre for the state governments to spend on the National Nutrition Mission (NNM) or Poshan Abhiyaan in 2018-19, the states spent only Rs 568.72 crore, utilising just about 22 per cent of the released sum, reports Hindu Businessline.

The utilisation of funds towards the Nutrition Mission has been worst in Punjab, which spent only Rs 30.88 lakh of the Rs 60.9 crore that had been disbursed by the centre for the state. This marks a utilisation rate of mere 0.5 per cent in 2018-19.

Punjab is followed by Kerala which used a paltry 2.12 per cent of the Rs 64.92 crore released for it by spending only Rs 1.37 state across the state. Assam, Delhi, Haryana and Jharkhand have used 5-6 per cent of funds allocated to them.

Meanwhile, the North-East states and Union Territories have outshone all other states in their utilisation of funds towards the Poshan Abhiyaan of the Government of India. Meghalaya has utilised Rs 15 crore of the Rs 17.13 crore released and Dadra Nagar Haveli has spent Rs 1.23 crore of the allocated Rs 1.29 crore.

NNM was set up with a three-year budget of Rs 9,046.17, starting 2017-18, of which the central share is Rs 2,849.54 crore.