Stunted Progress

Context:  Malnutrition, especially among children, is growing despite the abundant availability of food and coverage of two-thirds of the country’s population under the National Food Security Act. 

Growing malnutrition in India

• Envisaged in Surveys and Indices:
  • National Family Health Survey 2019-20: Shows that the proportion of children suffering from stunting (low height), wasting (underweight) and anaemia (emaciation) has risen.
  • Global Hunger Index 2020: Placed India at 94th position among 107 nations, in the “serious” hunger category, mainly because of rampant undernourishment and malnourishment among children below five.
• Effects of growing malnutrition: poor physical and mental growth, low productivity in adulthood etc.
  • Research has suggested that 90% of the brain grows by age five, so proper nutrition in the early years can make future decades 50% more productive.
• Pattern of growth is not uniform across the country: proportion of children suffering from stunted growth has gone up substantially in 11 states, severe wasting in 14 and anaemia in 17 out of 18 states.

Way Forward

• Need separate policy to address malnutrition: At present, there is no clear distinction between hunger and malnutrition.
  • Most of the country’s food supplementation programmes aim at augmenting food or calorie intake rather than ensuring balanced nutrition.
• Emphasis on the wholesomeness of the diets: that are fed to children & mothers under government’s flagship nutrition-oriented programme, the Poshan Abhiyaan or the National Nutrition Mission.
• Diversify food items: supplied through schemes like mid-day meal scheme, Anganwadi scheme, etc. E.g. By including millet, eggs, milk, or fortified (nutrient-enriched) processed food products.

Conclusion: The far-reaching benefits due to addressing malnutrition will outweigh the costs in addressing malnutrition.