New Delhi, Sep 22 (IANS): A comprehensive time-bound action plan needs to be put in place urgently to accelerate progress towards nutrition security in India, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi said Monday.

Gandhi directed the various stakeholders to have a plan in place by Nov 1 this year to achieve this.

Addressing the inaugural session of a workshop to discuss fast-tracking of the national mission on nutrition, Gandhi said a time-bound action plan in the form of the mission needs to be put in place urgently to accelerate progress towards nutrition security in India.

The minister appreciated the suggestions of some of the experts at the workshop like setting up an autonomous body to oversee the implementation of such an action plan.

Union Health Secretary Lov Verma said the ministry is setting up nutrition rehabilitation centres to tackle acute malnutrition adding that such centres are already in place in several states and union territories.

She said that the nutrition mission is now the flagship programme of the ministry and is very high on the national agenda of the government.

The workshop "Consultation on National Nutrition Mission in India : Accelerating Essential Nutrition Actions" was held to formulate the detailed contours of the mission and examine innovative interventions which can be put in place to tackle the problem of malnutrition.