Foremost among these is the low status of women in Indian society, which results in women and girls getting less than their fair share of household food and health care. The majority of women are not reached by education, or even nutrition and health information of practical relevance, which could help to rectify some of these problems. Widespread malnutrition among children and mothers is a major barrier to further reduction in mortality rates, including those among pregnant women. A large proportion of adult Indian women are at high risk of maternal mortality because their low pre-pregnancy height or weight may cause obstetrical difficulties. Malnourishment can also significantly lower cognitive development and learning achievement during the preschool and school years, and subsequently result in lower productivity.
Nutritional anemia is implicated in low physical and mental performance.
What India Can Do India will enter the 21 st century with a supportive policy framework to tackle its immense malnutrition problem and several active programs that could succeed in reducing malnutrition significantly. However, these programs fall short in meeting the needs of the poorest segments of the population, and their quality and coverage are inadequate. Sri Lanka, which successfully dealt with malnutrition in the 1980s, spent about 1 percent of GNP on direct nutritional programs while simultaneously improving health services, education for females, and antipoverty measures. Spending by the states varies dramatically, and most do not allocate resources commensurate with their levels of poverty or malnutrition. If India is to succeed in dealing with malnutrition, the first essential requirement is a higher level of sustained political commitment, the report says.