“Problem of malnutrition is a matter
of national shame.”
• Despite India’s remarkable economic
growth over the last decade, many
children still struggle to meet their most
basic needs, including access to
sufficient food and health care.
• 33% of the world’s malnourished
children live in India.
• In India, 48% of children under the age
of 5 are stunted and 43% are
• Malnutrition is costing the Indian
economy 2.95% of its GDP annually.
• Importantly with 43% of children
underweight ( with a weight deficit for
their age) rates of child underweight in
India are twice higher than the average
figure in sub-Saharan Africa (22%).
Causes of Malnutrition
•Nearly 9 million children die every
year before the age of five – that is
nearly one child every three seconds
across the world.
•Every 25 seconds, an Indian child
dies unnecessarily because of poor
• Malnutrition is a contributing
factor in over 50% of deaths in
children under five”- World Bank
Multi-stakeholder platform brings people together
which can help in reduction of Malnutrition
Align other sectors with nutrition goals
Works to align and
Prioritise the 1,000-day window
3.1 million children die every year due to
malnutrition. An additional 165 million
children who manage to survive
malnutrition in their early years
experience stunted growth and cognitive
development, undermining their future
productivity and therefore income. We
need to focus on nutrition of mothers
and children during a child’s first 1,000
days, an effort that can have long-term
consequences for growth, health and
Bring girls’ health into focus
More than one in four children born in
low- and middle-income groups in India
are underweight for their age. In
addition, most pregnant women cannot
access nutrition services until the fifth or
sixth month of their pregnancies, if at all.
As a result, their children start their lives
already malnourished. If we prioritise
the health of women and girls, we can
boost general nutrition, reduce
pregnancy complications and boost
fetal growth and development.
Expand reach through
community health workers
Community health worker programs offer a
prime opportunity to increase already
successful nutrition programs’ coverage and
provide services to populations who presently
lack access. Several countries, including
Ethiopia, have already started investing in
community health worker programs to
promote maternal and child health and
nutrition with great success. Community
health workers hold great promise to bring
nutrition services to those most vulnerable to
malnutrition, and their capacity to carry out
this work should therefore be strengthened.
Implementation: The Thing in
which we always lack
We have 6 schemes already in place . The solutions can be made by working in
existing framework but with newer methods like community health workers who
will work like BPO official . Any one can complain , suggest or coordinate with
Service sector can also play important role by providing 24 hour helpline . IT
companies can also help in bringing the adequate data to minimize the problem.
Rather than thinking of vote bank politics the central and state governments
should work on implementation. A Special committee should be formed including
officials from the central and state governments to work towards eradicating this
problem. We also need to hold policymakers accountable to their commitments to
nutrition progress and harness the global momentum on nutrition to produce more
The solutions have key fundamental
and implementation risks
Mishandling of funds
Lack of responsibility
No awareness and lack of knowledge
among people about schemes
Difficulty in integrating with
Lack of community health
Lack of coordination among
sectors for nutrition goals.
How these solutions would impact?
• If these solutions are implemented properly we can reduce
the number of chronically undernourished children by
• Reduction in Malnutrition would lead to more productivity
and increase in innovation which would lead to growth of
the country in long run.
• ^ "World Bank Report". Source: The World Bank (2009). Retrieved
2009-03-13. "World Bank Report on Malnutrition in India“
• ^ "2011 Global Hunger Index Report". International Food Policy
Research Institute (IFPRI).
• ^ "World Bank Report". Source: The World Bank 2009. Retrieved
2009-11-25. "India Country Overview 2009“
• " ^ "Journal of the American Medical Association". Source: JAMA
2004. Retrieved 2009-11-26. "The global burden of chronic
diseases" ^ "Malnutrition". Retrieved 13 February 2012. ^
• "The Indian exception". The Economist. 31 March 2011. Retrieved
13 February 2012. ^ "Putting the smallest first". The Economist. 23
September 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2012.