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National Iodine Deficiency
Disorders Control Program (NIDDCP)
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Salt Iodisation
Program in INDIA |
 The Salt
iodisation programme in India dates back to late 50’s when the classical
study of Professor V. Ramalingaswamy and his associates in Kangra Valley
of Himachal Pradesh established Iodine Deficiency as the causative
factor for endemic goiter and consuming salt iodised with potassium
iodate as the most economic and easiest means of its prevention and
control in a population.
Encouraged with the results of the experience gained in the Kangra
Valley, Government of India launched the National Goiter Control
Programme (NGCP) in 1962. One of the objectives of the programme was to
supply iodised salt in place of common salt to all the identified and
notified goiter endemic areas in the country. Initially, only public
sector undertakings were permitted to produce iodised salt. The
Government of India, with the help of WHO and UNICEF set up Iodisation
plants at Sambhar Lake (Rajasthan), Kharagoda (Gujarat) and Howrah (West
Bengal) with a total annual installed capacity of 3.85 lakh tones.
Supplies of iodised salt to the goitre endemic areas were arranged in
consultation with the concerned State Governments. Sale of common salt
for edible purposes was banned in the goitre-endemic areas by
Notifications issued by the State Governments under the Prevention of
Food Adulteration Act, 1954. The production from the above units was
only about 2 lakh tones per annum, out of which about 1 lakh tones was
supplied to Nepal. Their production could not meet the requirement of
all endemic areas till 1983.
The Government of India, therefore, reviewed the programme in 1983 and
announced policy liberalization to promote production of iodised salt |
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In order to meet the demand
for iodised salt, the policy on production of iodised salt was liberalized
allowing private sector participation.
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Appointment
of a Working Group on Salt Technology in 1983 under Chairmanship
of the Salt Commissioner to suggest methods to upgrade the
technology of production of common and iodised salt |
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Recognising
IDD as a national health problem, the Government of India formed
a Study Group under the Chairmanship of Salt Commissioner in
1984 to go into various aspects of iodisation programme and to
suggest measures to achieve universal iodisation of salt. |
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The Government of India accepted the
recommendations of the Working Group and Study Group, and on the advice
of the Central Council of Health in 1984 took a historic decision to
iodize the entire edible salt in a phased manner by 1992 and
included in the Seventh Five Year Plan (1985-1990) of Government of
India. It was also included in the 20 Point Programme announced in 1986.
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Salt Commissioner’s Organization under
the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Department of Industrial Policy &
Promotion, is the Nodal Agency for monitoring the production and quality
of iodized salt at the production level & ensuring its equitable
distribution in the country.
The Programmed was also renamed in 1992 as National Iodine Deficiency
Disorders Control Programmed (NIDDCP). |
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PROGRESS
OF UNIVERSAL SALT IODISATION (USI): |
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The
sustained efforts of Salt Commissionerate over the last two decades in
implementing the policy initiatives and the cooperation of the salt
manufacturers have resulted in significant progress on Salt Iodisation
Status in the country. Some of the achievements are:- |
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807 salt iodisation units including 42 refineries (capacity 37.6
lakh MT) with a total installed capacity of 116 lakh tones have been
established as on 31-12-2005; the capacity established is more than
double the requirement of salt for human consumption in the country |
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The production of iodised salt which was about 2 lakh tones in 1983
is now about 48.9 lakh tones during 2005 |
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About 32.3 per cent of iodised salt produced is refined iodised salt
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The estimated supplies of iodised salt within the country during
2005 was 46.4 lakh tones against the annual requirement of 54 lakh
tones for human consumption thereby providing access of iodised salt
to about 80 – 85 per cent of the population |
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The National Family Health Survey, II (1998-99) revealed that 71 per
cent of the households are consuming iodised salt; 49 per cent of
the households are consuming adequately iodised salt |
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As per the Monitoring Information system Reports received from State
Health Authority from 12 states during 2005, about 73.7 per cent of
the samples of iodised salt tested iodometrically were found to
conform to the prescribed standard |
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Salt Department facilitated establishment of 18 potassium iodate
manufacturing units in the country. More than adequate production
capacity is available in the country to meet the demand of potassium
iodate for production of iodised salt to meet the entire human
consumption |
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Due to sustained efforts of Salt commissionerate with State
governments, Iodised salt now finds place in the Public distribution
System in the States of Chhatisgarh, Jharkand, Karnataka, Andhra
Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Arunachal
Pradesh, Orissa, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Assam thereby
enabling access of iodised salt to BPL population. |
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