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Resource centre on India's rural distress
 
 

42 pc underweight children, a national shame: PM
-PTI
 
Highlighting that 42 per cent children were underweight in a country witnessing high growth, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today described it as a national shame and said the government could not rely solely on ICDS, a programme for early childhood development, to address it. 

"...The problem of malnutrition is a matter of national shame. Despite impressive growth in our GDP, the level of under-nutrition in the country is unacceptably high," he said releasing a report on Hunger and Malnutrition (HUNGaMA) here.

Pointing out that India had not succeeded in reducing the levels of malnutrition fast enough, he said, "Though the ICDS continues to be our most important tool to fight malnutrition, we can no longer rely solely on it."

The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme is a major national programme that addresses the health and nutrition needs of children under the age of six.

The HUNGaMA report states that the prevalence of child underweight has decreased from 53 per cent to 42 per cent, marking a 20.3 per cent fall over a seven year period with an average annual rate of reduction of 2.9 per cent.

The survey found that the rates of child malnutrition were still unacceptably high in the 100 focus districts with the poorest child development indicators where over 40 per cent of children were underweight and almost 60 per cent stunted.

"We need to focus on districts where malnutrition levels are high and where conditions causing malnutrition prevail," Singh said.

He said policy makers and programme implementers need to clearly understand many linkages - between education and health, sanitation and hygiene, drinking water and nutrition – and then shape their responses accordingly. 

Singh pointed out that while the survey reports high levels of malnutrition, it also indicates that one child in five has reached an acceptable healthy weight during the last seven years in 100 focus districts.

"This 20 per cent decline in malnourishment in the last seven years is better than the rate of decline reported in National Family Health Survey-III," he said.

"However, what concerns me is that 42 per cent of our children are still underweight. This is an unacceptably high occurrence," he said.

The report, on the survey conducted by Naandi Foundation, has been made at the insistence of the Citizens' Alliance against Malnutrition which comprises young parliamentarians, artistes, directors, social activists and policy makers.

The Prime Minister said his government was working to launch a strengthened and restructured ICDS; to start a multi-sectoral programme for 200 high burden districts and to initiate a nationwide communication campaign against malnutrition.

"The fact is that while India has been progressing quite a lot in the last 20 years, the fight against the malnutrition has not made as much progress," BJD MP Jay Panda, a member of the Alliance, told reporters here.

He said the Alliance will now adopt three blocks in Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and apply some of the learnings from the report to show that malnutrition can be tackled at a much more rapid pace.

Among those present at the function to release the report at the Prime Minister's residence included Union Minister Sachin Pilot, filmmaker-turned-MP Shyam Benegal, actor Rahul Bose, singer Penaz Masani, MPs Jay Panda, Jyoti Mirdha, Madhu Yaski Goud and Shahnawaz Hussain.

Panda said the Prime Minister has recognised that addressing the challenge of malnutrition has to be one of the highest priorities for India.

He said the report, which has been released, has documented the situation in various parts of the country.

"The fact is that while India has been progressing quite a lot in the last 20 years, the fight against malnutrition has not made much progress. So we need to prioritise it," Panda said.

He said the Citizens Alliance Against Malnutrition comprises many MPs across politicial lines from various parties and it also involves celebrities from bollywood, professionals, NGOs and supporters of the corporate social responsibilities.

"We have been taking this issue to political leaders at state and Central level. Both in the opposition and the Government.

"We have been going on field visits, we have been comparing different methodologies and we are now going to adopt three blocks in three states---Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan--- and we will apply some of the learnings to these blocks to show that malnutrition can be tackled at the much more rapid pace. And hopefully, we will make more progress than we have been making," he said.

Filmmaker and Rajya Sabha MP Shyam Benegal said addressing the issue of malnutrition is a time taking process.

He said the survey will give a "fairly accurate picture" on how things are working on the ground.

"Eventually, it is a two-pronged thing. One is an initiative from the Government. On the other hand you also have to look at the fact that people for whom it is meant for need to, they must get motivated. It is a question of entitlement as well. Unless the entitlement with the offer come together is not going to work well," Benegal said.

BJP MP Shahnawaz Hussain said, "All political parties are together in its fight against malnutrition. There is no politics in it."