More than 50 per cent of the children in Karnataka do not have access to supplementary nutrition provided under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), even though 41 per cent of the  children in the State are grossly malnourished and underweight, the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data has revealed.

Even the immunisation coverage of children between 12-23 months of age has come down in the state from 60 per cent in 1998 to 55 per cent in 2006, the survey showed.

Underweight children
The NFHS has also showed that the percentage of underweight children below three years’ of age has only marginally improved in Karnataka, from 44 in 1998 to 41 in 2006.

Under the Integrated Child Development Services programme, which is aimed at improving nutrition, health and immunisation of children below six years of age, 30,75,047 children between six months to six years of age are provided with supplementary nutrition in Karnataka, according to data available with the Ministry of Women and Child Development Ministry. When calculated in terms of percentage of number of children as per the 2001 Census, it comes to 42.8 per cent.

Role of anganwadi
Interestingly, Karnataka has a very good record in so far as sanctioning and operationalising anganwadi centres — the functioning unit of the ICDS, are concerned.

According to the status report of the ICDS, Department of Women and Child Development, 95.6 per cent of the anganwadi centres, which were sanctioned during 2005-06 have been operationalised in Karnataka as on March 31, 2007.

But the State has failed to comply with the government guideline regarding cost norms of supplementary nutrition. Even the Supreme Court in its order dated December 13, 2006 stated that all state governments and Union Territories should fully implement the ICDS scheme by allocating and spending at least Rs 2  per child per day for supplementary nutrition, out of which the Centre should contribute Re 1 per child per day. In case of Karnataka it is only Rs 1.70 per beneficiary per day.

Beneficiaries
At an all-India level, only about half the children (56.6 per cent) who have been identified by the anganwadi survey are beneficiaries of supplementary nutrition provision, even though India is home to the maximum number of malnourished children in the world. While there are about 16 crore children in the 0-6 years of age group according to 2001 Census, the number of supplementary nutrition beneficiaries is only 5.8 crores, i.e. only 35.5 per cent children under six years of age in the country are receiving such nutrition under the ICDS, even is there are no leakages, leaving out about 10 crore children.