45K Maha kids die of
malnutrition
M’rashtra Spends Peanuts On
Nutrition, Ranks 10th In Hunger Index Of 17 States
 Pune:
Of the estimated 45,000 children dying each year due to
malnutrition in Maharashtra, only around 12,000 are severe
malnutrition cases. The remaining 33,000 children succumb due to
mild or moderate malnutrition. Also, malnutrition is the
underlying cause in about 480 of the 2,850 maternal deaths each
year in the state.
Despite this high prevalence of malnutrition, the state
government spends just 0.08% of its gross domestic product on
the integrated child development scheme (ICDS) and the mid-day
meal programme. These and other startling statistics about the
declining nutritional status of Maharashtra were revealed in a
177-page report titled, “A report on nutritional crisis in
Maharashtra’’, prepared by the Punebased NGO—Support for
Advocacy and Training to Health Initiatives (Sathi). The
findings of the report were unveiled on Wednesday.
The report reveals that Maharashtra’s economic prosperity
does not translate into adequate nutrition for more than half
the population, said Abhay Shukla, co-ordinator of Sathi and one
of the editors of the report. “A large number of people in
Maharashtra do not get enough to eat and are suffering from
serious nutritional deficiencies,’’ he said. The report states
that despite having the second highest per capita net state
domestic product in the country, Maharashtra’s nutritional
status is on a par with Orissa and Bihar. The state’s 2008
Indian state hunger index score was 22.8, which places it tenth
(out of 17 states) in India in the category of “alarming
hunger’’ and on a par with the less developed state of Orissa
(23.8).
Internationally, Maharashtra is on a par with Rwanda (22.3)
and Cambodia (23.2), both countries having a much lower per
capita GDP.
The report also seeks to debunk the thinking that
malnutrition is a tribal or rural phenomenon. “Malnutrition is
not just a problem out there in the remote tribal or rural
areas. There are millions of undernourished people living and
working in Maharashtra’s urban centres,’’ said Shukla.
Maharashtra’s economic growth rate has risen steadily, from
an average 5% per year from 1993 to 2001 to 7.8% from 2002 to
2007. However, the per day consumer unit calorie and protein
consumption in the state has declined since 1993. “For example,
consumer unit daily calorie consumption in urban areas dropped
between 1993 and 2004-5 by over 170 calories, from 2,432 to
2,261,’’ said Shukla. Another interesting finding is that almost
half the children aged below five in Maharashtra are stunted and
nearly one-fifth are severely stunted.
Hungry Tide
Malnutrition is the underlying cause in about 480 of the 2,850
maternal deaths each year in Maharashtra, a study reveals
Maharashtra govt spends only 0.08% of its GDP on the
integrated child development scheme and the mid-day meal
programme
The study report says that despite having the second highest
per capita net state domestic product in the country,
Maharashtra’s nutritional status is on a par with Orissa and
Bihar
Consumer unit daily calorie consumption in urban areas dropped
between 1993 and 2004-5 by over 170 calories, from 2,432 to
2,261
Nearly half the women, 17% men and nearly two-thirds children in
the state are are anaemic
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