Impact of Supplementation of Iron Rich Biscuits on Anaemic Tribal Adolescent Girls

Abstract

Nutritional adequacy is one of the key determinants of the quality of human resources any where in the world and it plays a vital role in the maintenance of health and prevention of chronic lifestyle diseases at all stages of life cycle, especially during childhood and adolescent stage. newlineOver a few hundred years or so different tribes spread all over India. Many of them have suffered indignity of social discrimination for centuries. It was Mahatma Gandhi who fought hard to recognize them as free citizens of India and called them as Adivasis or Harijans or the children of forest God. The term quottribe means, a group of people who live at a particular place from time immemorial. The tribe is a system of social organization which includes several local groups in villages, districts on lineage and normally includes a common territory, language, culture, political system, simple economy, religion, primitive law and their own education system (Hari, 2008). newlineThe post - independence era witnessed a large number of developmental measures, policies and programmes that focused on the overall development of the tribes. Ever since the planning process was initiated in the country through five year plans, the tribal upliftment in the country has gained importance. The constitutional provisions and legislative measures both during the British rule and during the post - independence period to protect the tribal rights, property and culture had a significant bearing on the overall tribal economy and socio - cultural system, but they failed to have any impact on the improvement of the economic conditions of the tribal population (Adhikari, 2000).