New Delhi, Nov 7: Over 33 lakh children in India are malnourished and more than half of them fall in the severely malnourished category with Maharashtra, Bihar and Gujarat topping the list, the WCD ministry has said in response to an RTI query.
Prompting concern that the Covid pandemic could exacerbate the health and nutrition crisis among the poorest of the poor, the Women and Child Development ministry estimates that there are 17,76,902 (17.76 lakh/1.7 million) severely acute malnourished children (SAM) and 15,46,420 (15.46 lakh/1.5 million) moderately acute malnourished (MAM) children as of October 14, 2021.
The total 33,23,322 (33.23 lakh/3.3 million) is a compilation of data from 34 states and union territories, the ministry said in response to an RTI query by PTI.
The numbers were registered on the Poshan tracker app developed last year as a governance tool for real-time monitoring of nutritional outcomes.
“Of the 8.19 crore children in the anganwadi system, only 33 lakh are malnourished, which comes to only 4.04 per cent of children,” a WCD ministry official explained.
A comparison with figures from last year shows a 91 per cent rise in the number of SAM children has been seen between November 2020 and October 14, 2021 — up from 9,27,606 (9.27 lakh) to 17.76 lakh now. However, the two sets of figures are based on differing methods of data collection.
The number of SAM children (from six months to six years) identified last year was counted by 36 states and union territories and conveyed to the Centre.
The latest figures are through the Poshan tracker where the numbers were directly entered by anganwadis and accessed by the Centre and the age group of the children has not been specified.
The World Health Organisation defines SAM by very low weight-for-height or a mid-upper arm circumference less than 115 mm, or by the presence of nutritional oedema. MAM is defined as moderate wasting and/or mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) greater or equal to 115 mm and less than 125 mm.
Both MAM and SAM have severe health repercussions on the health of a child. Children suffering from SAM have very low weight for their height, and are nine times more likely to die in case of diseases due to their weakened immune system. Those suffering from MAM are also at increased risk of morbidity and mortality during childhood.
According to the RTI reply quoting the Poshan tracker, Maharashtra registered the highest number of malnourished children at 6,16,772 (6.16 lakh) with 1,57,984 (1.57 lakh) MAM children and 4,58,788 (4.58 lakh) SAM children. Number two on the list is Bihar with 4,75,824 (4.75 lakh) malnourished children (3,23,741 MAM children and 1,52,083 SAM children).
Gujarat registered the third highest number of such children at 3,20,465 (3.20 lakh) with 1,55,101(1.55 lakh) MAM children and 1,65,364 (1.65 lakh) SAM children.
Responding to the numbers, Child Rights and You (CRY) CEO Puja Marwaha said the Covid pandemic has impacted nearly all socio-economic indicators negatively and threatens to undo much of the progress made over the past decade. “Services like ICDS (Integrated Child Development Scheme) and midday meals in schools have become irregular during the prolonged closure of schools. These have severely affected children living in multi-dimensional poverty disproportionately, since they have been largely dependent on these services to fulfil their rights and entitlements,” Marwaha told PTI.
Unless challenges related to adequacy in budgetary allocations to secure nutrition security of children and bottlenecks in utilisation are addressed, India will be unable to mitigate the loss caused due to the pandemic, she added.
Of the other states, Andhra Pradesh registered 2,67,228 (2.76 lakh) malnourished children (69,274 MAM children and 1,97,954 SAM children) and Karnataka registered 2,49,463 (2.49 lakh) such cases (1,82,178 MAM children and 67,285 SAM children).
Uttar Pradesh has 1,86,640 (1.86 lakh) malnourished children (1,14,094 MAM children and 72,546 SAM children) while Tamil Nadu recorded 1,78,060 (1.78 lakh children (1,20,076 MAM children and 57,984 SAM children).
Following close behind, Assam has 1,76,462 (1.76 lakh) cases of malnourishment (1,17,016 MAM children and 59,446 SAM children) and Telangana 1,52,524 (1.52 lakh, 95,033 MAM and 57,491 SAM children). (PTI)
