Lok Sabha Question No. 4871 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-04-01
Subject: Malnourished Children
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Jugal Kishore Sharma, Geeta Kora, Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, Riti Pathak, D.K. Suresh, Dr. T. Sumathy (a) Thamizhachi Thangapandian

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4871

TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.04.2022

## 'MALNOURISHED CHILDREN'

## 4871    SHRI JUGAL KISHORE SHARMA:

SHRIMATI GEETA KORA:

SHRI MAGUNTA SREENIVASULU REDDY:

SHRIMATI RITI PATHAK:

SHRI D.K.SURESH:

DR. T. SUMATHY (a) THAMIZHACHI THANGAPANDIAN:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the  Government has  carried  out  any  study  or  survey  to  ascertain  the level of malnutrition among women and children across the country and if so, the details and outcome thereof;
- (b) whether 33 lakh children in India are malnourished and more than half of them fall in the severely malnourished category;
- (c) if  so,  the  details  thereof  indicating  the  percentage  of  malnourished  children State/UT-wise;
- (d) the  names  of  districts  and  States  in  the  country  which  have  highest/lowest number of malnourished children; and
- (e) the  measures  adopted  by  the  Government  so  far  to  tackle  the  problem  of malnutrition in children across the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOMENT (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a)  The  status  of  malnutrition  (stunting,  wasting,  and  underweight)  in  the  country amongst children under 5 years and women (15-49 years) is provided by the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted periodically by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoH&FW). As per the report of NFHS-5 (2019-21), the nutrition indicators for children under 5 years have improved as compared with NFHS-4 (2015-16). Stunting, Wasting  and  Underweight  has  reduced  from  38.4%  to  35.5%,  21.0%  to  19.3%  and 35.8%  to  32.1%  respectively.  Further  the  prevalence  of  malnutrition  among  women aged 15-49 years has decreased from 22.9 (NFHS 4) to 18.7 (NFHS 5).

(b) As per the National Family Health Survey (NFHS 5), 19.3% children under 5 years are malnourished, whereas, about 7.7% children fall in severely malnourished category.

(c)  The  State/UT  wise  prevalence  of  Stunting,  Wasting  and  Underweight  among children under 5 years as per NFHS 5 survey is at Annexure I.

(d)  The State/UT having the highest and lowest prevalence of Stunting, Wasting and Underweight among children under 5 years of age is at Annexure II.

(e)  The  Government  has  accorded  high  priority  to  the  issue  of  malnutrition  and  is implementing several schemes like Anganwadi Services, Scheme for Adolescent Girls and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) under the Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme as direct targeted interventions to address the problem of malnutrition in the country. Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition are treated at the Nutrition Rehabilitation Centers established by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. POSHAN Abhiyaan launched on 8th March 2018, aims to reduce malnutrition in the country  in  a  phased  manner,  through  a  lifecycle  approach,  by  adopting  a  synergised and result oriented approach. Mission Poshan 2.0, an integrated nutrition support programme has been announced in budget 2021-2022 for all States/UTs. It seeks to strengthen nutritional content, delivery, outreach and outcomes with focus on developing practices that nurture health, wellness were  issued  for transparency  and  accountability  in  delivery  of  supplementary  nutrition  and  to  track and  immunity  to  disease  and  malnutrition. Further, Guidelines nutritional outcomes on 13.01.2021.

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Annexure I State/UT wise prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight among children

## under five years of age as per National Family Health Survey (NFHS 5)

| S. No.   | Name of State/UT                     | Indicators   | Indicators   | Indicators      |
|----------|--------------------------------------|--------------|--------------|-----------------|
|          |                                      | Stunting (%) | Wasting (%)  | Underweight (%) |
| INDIA    | INDIA                                | 35.5         | 19.3         | 32.1            |
| 1        | Andaman & Nicobar Islands            | 22.5         | 16           | 23.7            |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh                       | 31.2         | 16.1         | 29.6            |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh                    | 28           | 13.1         | 15.4            |
| 4        | Assam                                | 35.3         | 21.7         | 32.8            |
| 5        | Bihar                                | 42.9         | 22.9         | 41              |
| 6        | Chandigarh                           | 25.3         | 8.4          | 20.6            |
| 7        | Chhattisgarh                         | 34.6         | 18.9         | 31.3            |
| 8        | Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu | 39.4         | 21.6         | 38.7            |
| 9        | Delhi                                | 30.9         | 11.2         | 21.8            |
| 10       | Goa                                  | 25.8         | 19.1         | 24              |
| 11       | Gujarat                              | 39           | 25.1         | 39.7            |
| 12       | Haryana                              | 27.5         | 11.5         | 21.5            |
| 13       | Himachal Pradesh                     | 30.8         | 17.4         | 25.5            |
| 14       | Jammu & Kashmir                      | 26.9         | 19           | 21              |
| 15       | Jharkhand                            | 39.6         | 22.4         | 39.4            |
| 16       | Karnataka                            | 35.4         | 19.5         | 32.9            |
| 17       | Kerala                               | 23.4         | 15.8         | 19.7            |
| 18       | Lakshadweep                          | 32           | 17.4         | 25.8            |
| 19       | Ladakh                               | 30.5         | 17.5         | 20.4            |
| 20       | Madhya Pradesh                       | 35.7         | 19           | 33              |
| 21       | Maharashtra                          | 35.2         | 25.6         | 36.1            |
| 22       | Manipur                              | 23.4         | 9.9          | 13.3            |
| 23       | Meghalaya                            | 46.5         | 12.1         | 26.6            |
| 24       | Mizoram                              | 28.9         | 9.8          | 12.7            |
| 25       | Nagaland                             | 32.7         | 19.1         | 26.9            |
| 26       | Orissa                               | 31           | 18.1         | 29.7            |
| 27       | Puducherry                           | 20           | 12.4         | 15.3            |
| 28       | Punjab                               | 24.5         | 10.6         | 16.9            |
| 29       | Rajasthan                            | 31.8         | 16.8         | 27.6            |
| 30       | Sikkim                               | 22.3         | 13.7         | 13.1            |
| 31       | Tamil Nadu                           | 25           | 14.6         | 22              |
| 32       | Telangana                            | 33.1         | 21.7         | 31.8            |
| 33       | Tripura                              | 32.3         | 18.2         | 25.6            |
| 34       | Uttar Pradesh                        | 39.7         | 17.3         | 32.1            |
| 35       | Uttarakhand                          | 27           | 13.2         | 21              |

Annexure II Top 10 & Bottom 10States/UTs in terms of Stunting, Wasting and Underweight based on NFHS-5

## (2019-21)

| Stunting                  | Stunting   | Stunting                             | Stunting   |
|---------------------------|------------|--------------------------------------|------------|
| Top 10                    | Top 10     | Bottom 10                            | Bottom 10  |
| States/UTs                | NFHS-5     | States/UTs                           | NFHS-5     |
| Puducherry                | 20         | Meghalaya                            | 46.5       |
| Sikkim                    | 22.3       | Bihar                                | 42.9       |
| Andaman & Nicobar Islands | 22.5       | Uttar Pradesh                        | 39.7       |
| Manipur                   | 23.4       | Jharkhand                            | 39.6       |
| Kerala                    | 23.4       | Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu | 39.4       |
| Punjab                    | 24.5       | Gujarat                              | 39         |
| Tamil Nadu                | 25         | Madhya Pradesh                       | 35.7       |
| Chandigarh                | 25.3       | Karnataka                            | 35.4       |
| Goa                       | 25.8       | Assam                                | 35.3       |
| Jammu & Kashmir           | 26.9       | Maharashtra                          | 35.2       |

| Wasting           | Wasting   | Wasting                              | Wasting   |
|-------------------|-----------|--------------------------------------|-----------|
| Top 10            | Top 10    | Bottom 10                            | Bottom 10 |
| States/UTs        | NFHS-5    | States/UTs                           | NFHS-5    |
| Chandigarh        | 8.4       | Maharashtra                          | 25.6      |
| Mizoram           | 9.8       | Gujarat                              | 25.1      |
| Manipur           | 9.9       | Bihar                                | 22.9      |
| Punjab            | 10.6      | Jharkhand                            | 22.4      |
| Delhi             | 11.2      | Assam                                | 21.7      |
| Haryana           | 11.5      | Telangana                            | 21.7      |
| Meghalaya         | 12.1      | Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu | 21.6      |
| Puducherry        | 12.4      | West Bengal                          | 20.3      |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 13.1      | Karnataka                            | 19.5      |
| Uttarakhand       | 13.2      | Nagaland                             | 19.1      |

| Underweight       | Underweight   | Underweight                          | Underweight   |
|-------------------|---------------|--------------------------------------|---------------|
| Top 10            | Top 10        | Bottom 10                            | Bottom 10     |
| States/UTs        | NFHS-5        | States/UTs                           | NFHS-5        |
| Mizoram           | 12.7          | Bihar                                | 41            |
| Sikkim            | 13.1          | Gujarat                              | 39.7          |
| Manipur           | 13.3          | Jharkhand                            | 39.4          |
| Puducherry        | 15.3          | Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu | 38.7          |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 15.4          | Maharashtra                          | 36.1          |
| Punjab            | 16.9          | Madhya Pradesh                       | 33            |
| Kerala            | 19.7          | Karnataka                            | 32.9          |
| Ladakh            | 20.4          | Assam                                | 32.8          |
| Chandigarh        | 20.6          | West Bengal                          | 32.2          |
| Jammu & Kashmir   | 21            | Uttar Pradesh                        | 32.1          |