As malnutrition rates remain alarming, Chhattisgarh govt announces campaign to eradicate hunger in 3 years
37.60 percent children of age below five years in Chhattisgarh are suffering from malnutrition and 41.50 percent daughters and mothers in the state are suffering from anaemia, according to a report by NITI Aayog.
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday announced that a campaign to eradicate malnutrition and anaemia will be launched in all districts to coincide with the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
What is malnutrition?
Malnutrition indicates that children are either too short for their age or too thin. Children whose height is below the average for their age are considered to be stunted. Similarly, children whose weight is below the average for their age are considered thin for their height or wasted.
Together, the stunted and wasted children are considered to be underweight - indicating a lack of proper nutritional intake and inadequate care post-childbirth.
Chhattisgarh to be malnutrition, anaemia free
"The state government has set the goal to make Chhattisgarh malnutrition and anaemia free within the next three years. Under this campaign, people suffering from malnutrition and anaemia will be provided free of cost nutritious food every day," said CM Baghel.
The chief minister said that the campaign to make Chhattisgarh malnutrition and anaemia free was started as a pilot project in Korba, Sarguja, Koriya and selected panchayats of other districts in Bastar region, under which free nutritious food was provided to all the people suffering from anemia and malnutrition.
"This campaign was initiated as a pilot project in Bastar region from July 2019 and it will be soon conducted in other aspirational districts of the state as well. The campaign will be launched on Gandhi Jayanti, free nutritious meals will be provided every day to the patients of malnutrition and anaemia, as per the list issued by each of the gram panchayat, customized as per their physical requirement and preferences," he said.
Baghel said he will ensure maximum participation of renowned charitable organisations, public representatives, NGOs, media groups and other competent people.
The chief minister also announced a hike in scholarship for students of pre-metric hostels from Rs 700 to Rs 1000 and a significant increase in the number of seats in the colleges.
Malnutrition, anaemia rates remain alarming in India
"According to the latest data released by the NITI Aayog, 37.60 percent children of age below five years in Chhattisgarh are suffering from malnutrition and 41.50 percent daughters and mothers in the state are suffering from anaemia," he said.
NITI Aayog Adviser Alok Kumar said only nine percent of children in the age group 6 to 24 months receive adequate nutrition in India.
In India, the national average weight at birth is less than 2.5kg for 19 percent of the children. The incidence of low birth-weight babies varies across different states, with Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh witnessing the highest number of underweight childbirths at 23 percent.
Half of India's children are anaemic (58 percent), indicating an inadequate amount of haemoglobin in the blood. This is caused by a nutritional deficiency of iron and other essential minerals, and vitamins in the body.
According to Alok Kumar, poverty, gender disparity, poor sanitation, low health and nutrition service coverage and poor nutritional intake - particularly an iron-deficient diet - continue to impede the fight against anaemia.
The daily consumption of iron-rich dark green leafy vegetables has reduced from 64 percent to 48 percent of the population in the last decade.
What is the reason behind malnutrition?
Tackling malnutrition is a key challenge for India. One-third of the children in India are growing up stunted and the main reason is lack of awareness around nutrition issues.
Is malnutrition witnessed only among children?
No. Among adults, 23 percent of women and 20 percent of men are considered undernourished in India. On the other hand, 21 percent of women and 19 percent of men are overweight or obese.
The simultaneous occurrence of over nutrition and under-nutrition indicates that adults in India are suffering from a dual burden of malnutrition.
Schemes undertaken by the govt to eradicate malnutrition
Various government initiatives have been launched over the years which seek to improve the nutrition status in the country. These include the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), the National Health Mission, the Janani Suraksha Yojana, the Matritva Sahyog Yojana, the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, and the National Food Security Mission, among others.
(With inputs from ANI)
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