malnourished childrens

Data shared by the Ministry of Women & Child Development Ministry in response to a RTI query has revealed that more 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 ministry in its response to an RTI query by PTI stated that the total 33,23,322 (33.23 lakh/3.3 million) is a compilation of data from 34 states and union territories. The numbers were registered on the Poshan tracker app developed previous year as a governance tool for real-time monitoring of nutritional outcomes.

Sharing concern that the Covid pandemic could aggravate 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. “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,” explained a WCD ministry official. What is a worrying concern that India has slipped to the 101st position in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2021 of 116 countries, from its 94th position in 2020, falling behind its neighbouring countries Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.

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).

SAM, is defined by the World Health Organization, 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.

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