New Delhi: Experts in a conference titles “Acute Malnutrition-An Everyday Emergency’ said in National Capital New Delhi that children in India, belonging to lower income groups like dalits, adivasis, OBCs and rural communities suffer most from malnutrition and around one million die every year due to this problem. India is a country ridden by problems like malnutrition, taking lives of thousands of children every year.
Experts said that number of children affected in India is higher than all South Asian countries high burden of wasting or acute malnutrition, quoted a report presented at the conference.
Based on the report, they said, ‘Within India, Scheduled Tribes (28%), Scheduled Castes (21%) and other backward castes (20%) and rural communities (21%) have a high burden of acute malnutrition.’
Vandana Krishna, Director General of Maharashtra’s successful Rajmata Jijau Mother Child Health and Nutrition Mission said that a multi-sectoral action plan has been implemented in the state of Maharashtra to tackle malnutrition which has seen success, but has failed to create the same effect in tribal area of the state.
Deputy Country Director, ACF-India Rajiv Tandon said o save the lives of million children, government needs to address the issue on a ‘mission mode’.
He also said that the Prime Minister should give this issue a new direction.
The problem that plagues India’s malnutrition campaigns is that treatment for acute malnutrition is very low and the conference suggested that treatment programmes need to be scaled up urgently in the country.
Sudarshan Bhagat, Minister of State for Rural development had spoken about the steps taken by the government while addressing the participants.
He also assured to convey the message of the conference before the highest level.
Bureau Report
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