As per a new survey of the UNICEF and the government, India has seen a reduction in the number of malnourished children. The percentage of such children stood at 45.1% in the year 2005-06. But recent figures from provisional data (2013-14) indicate a significant decline to a comparatively lesser 30.7%.
Almost no significant survey took place after 2006. In determination of malnutrition, child and adult heights and weights have a crucial role. This is chiefly because the National Family Health Survey, which is India’s main source for genuine health data, got delayed.
But now since it is back in the picture, new NFHS figures will be officially announced by the end of 2015. But until then, the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development associated with the UNICEF to hold ‘Rapid Survey on Children’ last year. The survey helped in extracting the crucial heights and weights measurements.
As per the values that this survey has helped in procuring, it indicates, a major fall in the country’s malnourished child population.
After what the International Food Policy Research Institute calls ‘data drought’, has finally ended, the survey has put the country in a way better position in global health indices.
This also means that the hunger status of the country is not alarming any longer in the IFPRI’s Global Hunger Index, which is a significant change since the last time the survey was conducted. But it is still being classified in the ‘serious’ category.
This recovery by India in the last decade is faster than that made by any other South Asian country. This puts the ‘rumours’ that a country like Bangladesh had managed to dwindled the similar number, where India was still lagging in spite of otherwise fast economic growth.
Unfortunately, the number of under-five underweight children in India still remains the highest across the globe. Almost 70% children still suffer from anaemia.
Also, the percentage of undernourished population in the total population reached 17% in 2011-13 from 21.5% in 2004-06, as per the IFPRI approximations.
One id forced to fathom the reasons behind such a massive change. According to IFPRI, introduction of schemes like Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), by the government and other health oriented campaigns have played a great role in the process.
In addition the Supreme Court-appointed committee carried out effective watching of the schemes. National Rural Health Mission was another scheme of the previous government that made access to health services easier.
Provision of Public Delivery System for procuring funded grains; and that of employment under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act also clubbed with other drives to produce favourable results.
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About Tushita
Tushita is a political writer at thenational.net. Her deep rooted interest in politics, passion for writing and craze for travelling define her. Writing since her school days, she aspires to write lifelong and make the world a happier place to live with the power of her pen.
