Team Blitz India
MUMBAI: Union Women and Child Development Ministry in response to an RTI query recently admitted that Maharashtra has the highest incidence of malnutrition in the country.
Over six lakh children fall under the malnourished category and of this number, 4.5 lakh fall under the Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) category.
As many as 6500 children died due to malnutrition during the last five years. The State Government has admitted that the tally of children in SAM category rose by over 26,000 over the years, while over one lakh children were added to the category of Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM).
The Maharashtra Government has been under pressure from the Bombay High Court to improve nutrition and ensure there are no deaths due to malnutrition. The State Government told the court that the situation has improved, but on the ground, reality paints a starkly different picture. The problem is not Maharashtra’s alone.
According to the National Family Health Survey 2019-2021, there has been no significant improvement in health and nutritional status across India since 2015-2016; 7.7 per cent of its children are severely wasted, 19.3 per cent are wasted and 35.5 per cent are stunted; 3.4 per cent are overweight and 67.1 per cent are anaemic. Across parameters, India’s situation has deteriorated.
Even Central Government schemes like Anganwadi, which serve nutritious meals to children up to the age of 6 years, and to expectant and nursing mothers, have not helped. Couple of years ago, many Anganwadis closed and in a few areas, beneficiaries received groceries instead of hot cooked meals. But even these were sporadic. Now, the scheme is coming online again but the damage done to children is not reversible overnight.
Experts say one big reason for deficient nutrition is a scarcity of funds. The Government’s allocation towards child health schemes has risen just marginally in state budget. This, of course, covers multiple schemes, and Anganwadi services are just one of them. Even the budget allocation to the midday meal scheme that target school-going children has dipped.
Bombay HC has been hearing PILs regarding malnutrition deaths in Maharashtra. The court had pulled up the State Government and state machinery on several occasions. Recently, the court warned the State Government that not even a single child should die of malnutrition in Maharashtra anymore.
