<p>Data revealed in the Rajya Sabha about persistent levels of malnutrition among children across states is a matter of concern as they show inadequacies at the national level and major disparities among the states. The Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur told the House that about 37 per cent of the children aged under five were found to be stunted (low height for their age), nearly 16 per cent underweight (low weight for their age), and 5.46 per cent wasted (low weight for their height) among those registered on the Poshan Tracker app. This means that a high percentage of children will grow into persons without normal health attributes. The neonatal mortality rate is 19 deaths per 1,000 live births and the under-five mortality rate stands at 30 per 1,000, according to the latest Sample Registration System (2022) report.</p>.<p>There are wide disparities among states on all these counts. While the states from the South are better performers, those from the North have poor report cards. Uttar Pradesh reported the highest rate of stunting at 48.83 per cent, followed closely by Jharkhand (43.26 per cent), Bihar (42.68 per cent), and Madhya Pradesh (42.09 per cent). According to recent data released by the ministry, over 1.3 lakh children aged below five in Karnataka were malnourished. Among them, 11,674 were classified as ‘severely acute malnourished’. Within the state, districts such as Yadgir and Kalaburagi performed worse than others. Kerala and some North-Eastern states have done well but they also need to improve their performance. Nutrition levels are inadequate even for adults among the weaker sections. The calorie consumption for the bottom 5 per cent of the population by expenditure is 1,688 kilocalories a day in rural areas and 1,696 kilocalories in urban areas, which is much less than the recommended daily intake of 2,500 kilocalories, according to the latest Household Consumption Expenditure Survey.</p>.<p>While providing adequate levels of nutrition to all people remains a challenge, particular attention needs to be paid to children. The figures show that the government’s efforts through various programmes to improve nutrition among children have not delivered the expected results. The Poshan programme which aims to improve the nutritional status of children, pregnant women and lactating mothers, and does real-time monitoring of outcomes through the use of technology, needs to be implemented better. Anganwadis have an important role in the implementation of the programme. Its working needs to be constantly evaluated. Poorly performing states need greater attention. The efforts to improve nutrition among children in those states should be aligned with the efforts to improve the health and education status of all people.</p>
<p>Data revealed in the Rajya Sabha about persistent levels of malnutrition among children across states is a matter of concern as they show inadequacies at the national level and major disparities among the states. The Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur told the House that about 37 per cent of the children aged under five were found to be stunted (low height for their age), nearly 16 per cent underweight (low weight for their age), and 5.46 per cent wasted (low weight for their height) among those registered on the Poshan Tracker app. This means that a high percentage of children will grow into persons without normal health attributes. The neonatal mortality rate is 19 deaths per 1,000 live births and the under-five mortality rate stands at 30 per 1,000, according to the latest Sample Registration System (2022) report.</p>.<p>There are wide disparities among states on all these counts. While the states from the South are better performers, those from the North have poor report cards. Uttar Pradesh reported the highest rate of stunting at 48.83 per cent, followed closely by Jharkhand (43.26 per cent), Bihar (42.68 per cent), and Madhya Pradesh (42.09 per cent). According to recent data released by the ministry, over 1.3 lakh children aged below five in Karnataka were malnourished. Among them, 11,674 were classified as ‘severely acute malnourished’. Within the state, districts such as Yadgir and Kalaburagi performed worse than others. Kerala and some North-Eastern states have done well but they also need to improve their performance. Nutrition levels are inadequate even for adults among the weaker sections. The calorie consumption for the bottom 5 per cent of the population by expenditure is 1,688 kilocalories a day in rural areas and 1,696 kilocalories in urban areas, which is much less than the recommended daily intake of 2,500 kilocalories, according to the latest Household Consumption Expenditure Survey.</p>.<p>While providing adequate levels of nutrition to all people remains a challenge, particular attention needs to be paid to children. The figures show that the government’s efforts through various programmes to improve nutrition among children have not delivered the expected results. The Poshan programme which aims to improve the nutritional status of children, pregnant women and lactating mothers, and does real-time monitoring of outcomes through the use of technology, needs to be implemented better. Anganwadis have an important role in the implementation of the programme. Its working needs to be constantly evaluated. Poorly performing states need greater attention. The efforts to improve nutrition among children in those states should be aligned with the efforts to improve the health and education status of all people.</p>
