Give Children Weight

Context:   New evidence on child nutrition calls for a radical expansion of child development services.

Concerns related to child nutrition in India

• High proportion of under-weight children:
  • After Niger and Yemen, India has the highest proportion (36%) of underweight children in the world (National Family Health Survey 2015-16 (NFHS-4)). It is 22% in Bangladesh and 27% in Nepal.
  • According to the National Family Health Survey 2019-20 (NFHS-5), the proportion of underweight children in 7 out of 10 major states had increased between 2015-16 and 2019-20. (34 % of children in these states are underweight)
• Child stunting (low height-for-age)
  • According to the World Bank’s World Development Indicators, India stands in the league of low performing countries like Ethiopia, Congo and Afghanistan.
  • According to National Family Health Survey 2019-20 (NFHS-5), the proportion of stunting in children in 6 out of 10 major states had increased between 2015-16 and 2019-20. (36 % of children in these states are stunted)
• Deterioration in nutrition levels due to  COVID-19 crisis:
  • Household surveys point to severe food insecurity across India in 2020.
  • A survey by ‘Hunger watch’ had found out that two-thirds of the respondents (adults from India’s poorest households) were eating less nutritious food after the lockdowns.
  • Factors leading to this deterioration:
    • Discontinuation of mid-day meals in schools and anganwadis
    • Disruption of routine health services
    • Increase in child labour and child abuse
• Government actions:
  • Cuts in financial allocations:  For mid-day meals and the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). g. central budget for mid-day meals (Rs 11,000 crore) is lower than what it was in 2014-15 (Rs 13,000 crore).
  • Failed to respect pregnant women’s right to maternity benefits: g. Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana is restricted to one child per family and Rs 5,000 per child. 
  • Resistance in including items like eggs in mid-day meals and take-home rations.

Way forward

• Value child development.
• Revive and revamp mid-day meals in schools and anganwadis: Egg should be included as a national policy with an option of fruits for vegetarians.
• Extend maternity entitlements to all births.
• Amend the National Food Security Act 2013: To increase the amount of Rs 6,000 per child as maternity benefit.
• Turn anganwadis into vibrant child development centres at the village level: e.g. the southern states, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha had done this.

Conclusion:   Child development is paramount for development in the full sense.