Reality

Malnutrition: A reality

A fact

The reality in 2010 is that almost 50% of India’s children are malnourished. In the nation’s capital alone 42.2% of children under five are stunted and a shocking 26.1% are underweight.

Malnutrition stunts physical, mental and cognitive growth and makes children more suspectible to respiratory and diarrhoeal illness. Malnourished children are more likely to die as a result of common and easily preventable childhood diseases than those who are adequately nourished. 

What does the Report say ?

 According to a UNICEF report, 1.95 million children below the age of five die annually in India mainly from preventable causes that are directly or indirectly attributable to malnutrition. The children who survive the ravages of malnutrition are more vulnerable to infection, do not reach their full height potential and experience impaired cognitive development. This means they do less well in school, earn less as adults and contribute less to the economy.

In present

 While we have impressive policies and schemes such as ICDS, these have not made a significant impact. The ICDS  not made a significant impact. The ICDS needs to reach  the poorest and most excluded groups who need it most. Only 28.4% of children under six are able to access services provided by anganwardi centre.

India spends less than five per cent of the annual budget on children. The 2009-10 Union Budget earmarked 4.15% on children ! This, in a country where 447 million people are aged 18 and below. Of the total budgetary allocation on children, a mere 11.1% is for child health schemes.

Worst affected group  

It is the poorest children in the poorest communities who experience much more malnutrition than their better-off counterparts. And yet, existing natural nutrition plans barely tackle the socio-economic causes of the problem.

Virtual Assumption

There is an assumption that economic growth will solve the problem of malnutrition but, in fact, economic growth often fails to reduce poverty. The economic causes of malnutrition are set to deepen: food prices remain high and expected to stay high, the economic downturn is pushing millions more into poverty and climate change is causing an increasing number of extreme climate events that devastate livelihoods and lead to destitution.

Our Effort

We have good policies and schemes in place. AASHA INDIA implementing these and more importantly monitoring their implementation. We know which districts are hardest hit, we to reach those district and build the capacities of local health and nutrition workers to deliver effective services.