Two fifths of Indian children under five are underweight, survey finds

Two fifths of Indian children under five are underweight, survey finds

بھوکے ننگے بھارتیوں کے 5 سال سے کم عمر کے 42فیصد بچے کم وزن ہیں

Manmohan Singh, the Indian prime minister, has called malnutrition in the country "a national shame" as he released a major survey that found 42 per cent of children under five were underweight.

پاکستانیوں کو تعجب ہے کہ اپنے ٹی وی پر بڑی بڑی باتیں کرنے والے بے غیرت بھارتی قوم کاکوئی بھارتی ارب پتی 

اس خبر کو پڑھ کر شرم سے ڈوب کر نہیں مرا

 "Despite impressive growth in our GDP, the level of under-nutrition in the country is unacceptably high" said the Indian prime minister 

"The problem of malnutrition is a matter of national shame," Mr Singh said at the launch of the HUNGaMA (Hunger and Malnutrition) Report, which surveyed 73,000 households across nine states.

"Despite impressive growth in our GDP, the level of under-nutrition in the country is unacceptably high. We have also not succeeded in reducing this rate fast enough," the 79-year-old prime minister added.

Dr Singh said the findings of the report by an alliance of non-government organisations were both "worrying and encouraging" for India – a fast-growing country of 1.2 billion people with the highest number of children worldwide.

The research found the proportion of under-fives who are underweight had declined 11 percentage points in seven years, but Dr Singh said it remained "unacceptably high" at 42 per cent.

"We cannot hope for a healthy future with a large number of malnourished children," he said.

Data from UNICEF shows that one in three malnourished children worldwide is found in India, with 47 per cent of under-threes underweight.

One of the findings in the new research was that malnourished children in India were rarely hungry, merely badly fed due to widespread ignorance about nutrition among Indian parents.

As well as malnourishment, the survey of more than 100,000 children and 73,000 mothers measured stunting, when children are short in height for their age.

A total of 58 per cent of children under five surveyed were stunted, the survey found, a result of inadequate nutrition for the mother during pregnancy and the child in its early years.

Food prices have soared in India over the last six years, causing increased hardship for the 455 million people estimated by the World Bank to live below the poverty line.

Last month, the Indian cabinet approved the Food Security Bill, a landmark piece of legislation that would provide subsidised food for up to 64 per cent of India's population if passed by parliament.Last month, the Indian cabinet approved the Food Security Bill, a landmark piece of legislation that would provide subsidised food for up to 64 per cent of India's population if passed by parliament.