Among the 20 countries where four-fifths of all undernourished children live, India is home to the largest number. The country is a perfect example of the trend pointed out in the study: nutrition slipping through the gaps even as the portfolio of interventions increases. The last round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS 3) shows that malnutrition has reduced by just one per cent (from 47 per cent to 46 per cent) in the last eight years. This just means every second child under six years of age is underweight, a statistic worse than that in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Lancet study has pointed to the “golden interval of intervention” that ranges from pregnancy to two years of age. After the age of two, undernutrition would have caused irreversible damage to the child’s development. This should not come as a surprise either: it is a fact that has been pointed out by countless studies and nutrition experts within India.
Does the government have a plan in place to help the faces behind these alarming statistics? The ICDS, which works towards the promotion of maternal and child health and nutrition, includes a range of other interventions — health, immunisation and early education needs of those under six along with nutrition supplements for pregnant and adolescent girls. It operates through an aanganwadi centre in every village manned by an aanganwadi worker.
Despite the Supreme Court playing a key role in monitoring and prodding the government, the status of the programme is far from encouraging. According to the latest reports of the Supreme Court-appointed commissioners, only 35.5 per cent children under six receive supplementary nutrition under the ICDS. Only about 25 per cent of the eligible pregnant women and nursing mothers are being reached under this programme. The worst states are Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand, where aanganwadis barely exist.
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Sonu Jain
