Published Paper Details:

The Covid-19 pandemic brought life to standstill during 2020-2021and to save lives, globally, a mass safety measure of lockdown was implemented. Resources and public services in different countries were diverted to curb the fatal infectious disease of Covid-19. In India, number of policy measures were taken during lockdown for continuity of essential services and to restore the necessary suspended government food supply-chain and nutrition services. Special need-based policy incentives have been taken during lockdown to restore health and nutrition services under one of the critical government scheme namely, the POSHAN Abhiyaan (mission) that was started in 2018 to address the issue of malnutrition among children, adolescent, pregnant and lactating mothers. During the lockdown there was a vital need to continue the services under the mission as health and nutrition are critical health policy issues to address and to lower the child mortality and maternal mortality rates. The Government of India issued policy guidelines under the mission for continuity of the nutrition and health services through measures like home-visits by Frontline workers. To follow the guidelines, States Governments resumed home-visits and provided essential services that ranges from providing dry rations, local preparations for supplementary nutrition, home-visits for children with severe malnutrition, staggered approach for community based events, virtual classes for preschool education.