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In a bizarre revelation, the Minister of Women and Child Development claimed in a submission before the Indian Parliament on September 23 that the percentage of malnutrition in the country had reduced in recent years!
This was in response to a question raised by Member of Parliament Mohammad Jawed about the increasing number of malnourished children (including Bihar) in the last three years.
In reply, Union Minister Smriti Irani said that the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4 report of 2015-16 showed that 35.7 percent children under five years of age are underweight and 38.4 percent are stunted. Similarly, the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS) report of 2016-18 showed that the prevalence of underweight and stunting among children is 33.4 percent and 34.7 percent respectively.
According to Irani this “indicates a reduction when compared to the levels reported by NFHS-4.” However, unlike the NFHS-4 report, the CNNS report does present data for Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep islands and Puducherry.
A brief comparison of the two reports also showed that the problem of stunting and underweight had improved over the years in Bihar, one of the states that have reported a serious problem of malnutrition. In 2015-16, the NFHS-4 showed that 48.3 percent children under five years in Bihar were stunted while 43.9 percent children under five years were underweight. In 2016-18, the CNNS report said that the percentages of stunted and underweight children under five years had reduced to 42 percent and 38.7 percent respectively.
Similarly, Madhya Pradesh that also faces the problem of malnutrition saw a general decline in stunted and underweight children as per Centre data. The NFHS stated that 42 percent children were stunted while 42.8 percent children were underweight. Later, the CNNS showed that 39.5 percent were stunted while 38.7 were underweight.
When asked about government measures to address the issue of malnutrition among children and the funds proposed for this purpose, the Irani said, “Under the Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme, in order to address the issue of malnutrition, Rs. 20532.38 crores, Rs. 3700 crores, Rs. 2500 crores and Rs. 250 crores have been proposed for the year 2020-21 for implementation of Anganwadi Services, POSHAN Abhiyaan, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) and Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG) respectively.”
She also said that under the anganwadi services of the Umbrella ICDS Scheme, children under six years of age are given supplementary nutrition such as take-home ration, morning snacks and hot cooked meals.
“The Supplementary Nutrition is provided to bridge the gap between the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) and the Average Daily Intake (ADI) among this age group as per the nutritional standards specified under Schedule II of the Act. Severely malnourished children are provided additional nutrition in the form of food supplement providing 800 Kcal of energy and 20-25 g of protein. Further, for the management of malnourished children without medical complications at the community level, the Composite guidelines have been drafted by the Ministry based on the recommendations of the all stakeholders,” she said.
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