New Delhi, Mar 15 (IANS): All states and UTs have been advised to ensure home distribution of Iron Folic Acid supplementation to the target age groups of pre-school children (6-59 months), children 5-9 years, adolescents 10-19 years, and pregnant and lactating women, the Parliament was told on Tuesday.

Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar told the Rajya Sabha, in a written reply, that the states/UTs have also been advised to undertake distribution of IFA supplements through the Village Health Sanitation Nutrition Days (VHSNDs) to be held in the staggered manner while ensuring all the personal protective measures and physical distancing norms by the frontline workers i.e. ASHAs, ANMs and AWWs.

Responding to a question, Pawar said that Health Ministry has issued guidance notes to all the states/UTs regarding 'Enabling Delivery of Essential Health Services during the Covid-19 Outbreak' on April 14, 2020 and 'Provision of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health plus Nutrition services during and post-Covid-19 pandemic' on May 24, 2020 for continuation of service delivery amid the pandemic.

"The Government of India has also developed and launched Anaemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) e-Training Modules to facilitate training of the health care providers through virtual platform amid COVID 19 pandemic," she told the house.

She said that under the National Health Mission, financial support is provided to the states/UTs for effective implementation of interventions under AMB strategy based on proposals submitted through their respective annual Programme Implementation Plan (PIP).