60 million malnourished and underweight children- Don’t just read and ignore, I am not talking about Africa, this melancholic statistics as per world Bank is of India.



If we just sneak a look at the uphill struggle in this line of work, we will see it eye-to-eye, in spite of sizeable improvement in field of health and welfare. Since our independence (1947), malnutrition had been and infact is in state of wordless emergency in India.



India till now, has just documented a framework of programs — Public Distribution System (PDS), an Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) program, a National Mid-day Meals Program (NMMP), and several other schemes providing food in exchange of work. And results of these programs are not hidden from us — lots of money invested, however botched to undergo the requirements of the poorest. The reason is clear — ineffective targeting, implementation, and coverage.



More than half the children, below the age of four are underfed and scrawny, 30% of newborns are extensively underweight; in addition to all these, even our 60% of women are anemic.



Malnutrition is costing India at least $10 billion yearly with regard to lost productivity, illness, and deaths.



After so many decades of toil, when we have developed agricultural sector, boosted educational standards, advanced technology sector, groovy economic growth — Why do we have scores of children still hungry? Half of our Indian breed is not able to meet their basic requirements of optimal nutrition.



The fact is that by no means, the reason for this high malnutrition rate is poverty, it’s just that we have lack of will or effort, as a matter of fact, India even has high child malnutrition rate because of wider regional anomaly.



It’s high time, we all should be ready with our wits and on our toes, so as to come up with final conclusion to this peril, as the impact will be felt after 15-20 years when these children will grow up and form a junction with the work force!



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