Relevance : GS Paper II
India continues to grapple with a high rate of undernutrition.
Stunting
- Stunting impacts human capital, poverty and equity.
- It leads to less potential in education and fewer professional opportunities.
- India has unacceptably high levels of stunting of around 35%.
- Stunting leads to slower economic growth.
- Stunting also has lasting effects on future generations.
- Decadal decline in stunting is only one percentage point a year.
- Inter-State variabilities remain extremely high.
- India has more stunted children in rural areas.
National Nutrition Strategy
- Achieve a malnutrition-free India by 2022.
- Reduce stunting prevalence by about three percentage points per year.
- Achieve a one-third reduction in anaemia.
Way forward
- Serious alignment among line ministries.
- Convergence of nutrition programmes.
- Stringent monitoring of the progress made.
- Timely nutritional interventions of breastfeeding.
- Full immunisation and Vitamin A supplementation.
- Effective interventions for both mother and child.
- Lessons from Chhattisgarh’s performance in reducing stunting.
- Increase in household income.
Conclusion
Effective monitoring and implementation of programmes to address malnutrition are needed.