Malnutrition in India unacceptably high: Manmohan Singh

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that despite impressive growth of the Indian economy and a number of programmes aimed at meeting the nutritional challenge, the levels of under-nutrition continue to remain unacceptably high.

Speaking at Prime Minister?s National Council on India?s Nutrition Challenges on Wednesday, he said that the problem of malnutrition was a complex one caused by multiple factors and with long term consequences on the growth, development and well being of the nation.

Further the rates of reduction in under-nutrition over time have been disappointingly low. This is this is simply unacceptable, he said.

From the discussion, the forum concluded that the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) in the country requires strengthening and restructuring.

It was agreed that a multi-sectoral programme to address the maternal and child malnutrition in selected 200 high-burden districts needs to be prepared.

This programme will bring together various national programmes through strong institutional and programmatic convergence at the State, District, Block and Village levels.

There is a need to launch a nation wide campaign, coordinated by the Ministry of Women & Child Development, in consultation with Planning Commission, experts, civil society organizations working in this field, against malnutrition so as to address issues of status of women, the care of pregnant mothers and children under two, breastfeeding, and the importance of balanced nutrition, health, hygiene and sanitation.

It was also agreed that the Ministries that deal with Health, Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation, School Education, Agriculture and Food & Public Distribution will bring strong nutrition focus to their programme.

Prime Minister said that he expected the Ministry of Women & Child Development and the Planning Commission to review the progress in implementation of the decisions of the meeting after three months.