Lok Sabha Question No. 1053 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-07-22
Subject: Anaemic/Underweight Children
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: CHANDRAKANT RAGHUNATH PATIL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1053 TO BE ANSWERED ON 2 2 ND JULY, 2016

## ANAEMIC/UNDERWEIGHT CHILDREN

## 1053. SHRI C.R. PATIL:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware of prevalence of anaemia among children and significant number of children below five years are underweight;
- (b) if so, the details thereof, State/UTwise including Gujarat; and
- (c) whether the Government has ascertained the reasons for the prevalence of underweight and anaemic children?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI FAGGAN SINGH KULASTE )

- (a) & (b): Yes.  Government  is  aware  of prevalence  of  anaemia  among  children  and  that significant number of children below five years are underweight. As per National Family H Survey - 3,  around  70  per  cent  of  under - five  children  are  anaemic  and  as  per  Rapid  Survey  of Children (2013), around 29 per cent children are underweight.

State/UT - wise  details  of  prevalence  of  anaemia  and  underweight  including  Gujarat annexed.

- (c): The various reasons for high prevalence of underweight and anaemia in children are due to  inadequate  food,  level  of  poverty  leading  to  low  purchasing  power,  poor  socio -economic status of women, female illiteracy, high rate of population growth and low access of pop to health education, unsafe drinking water and lo w level of sanitation and hygiene.

Annexure

|   Sl. No | STATES       | %Anaemia Prevalence in under-five (NFHS-3)   |   %Underweight Prevalence in under- five (RSOC-2013) |
|----------|--------------|----------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | All India    | 69.5                                         |                                                 29.4 |
|        2 | Andhra P.    | 70.8                                         |                                                 22.3 |
|        3 | Arunachal P. | 56.9                                         |                                                 24.6 |
|        4 | Assam        | 69.6                                         |                                                 22.2 |
|        5 | Bihar        | 78                                           |                                                 37.1 |
|        6 | Chhattisgarh | 71.2                                         |                                                 33.9 |
|        7 | Delhi        | 57                                           |                                                 19.4 |
|        8 | Goa          | 38.2                                         |                                                 16.2 |
|        9 | Gujarat      | 69.7                                         |                                                 33.6 |
|       10 | Haryana      | 72.3                                         |                                                 22.7 |
|       11 | Himachal P.  | 54.7                                         |                                                 19.5 |
|       12 | J& K         | 58.6                                         |                                                 15.4 |
|       13 | Jharkhand    | 70.3                                         |                                                 42.1 |
|       14 | Karnataka    | 70.4                                         |                                                 28.9 |
|       15 | Kerala       | 44.5                                         |                                                 18.5 |
|       16 | Madhya P.    | 74.1                                         |                                                 36.1 |
|       17 | Maharashtra  | 63.4                                         |                                                 25.2 |
|       18 | Manipur      | 41.1                                         |                                                 14.1 |
|       19 | Meghalaya    | 64.4                                         |                                                 30.9 |
|       20 | Mizoram      | 44.2                                         |                                                 14.8 |
|       21 | Nagaland     | NA                                           |                                                 19.5 |
|       22 | Odisha       | 65                                           |                                                 34.4 |
|       23 | Punjab       | 66.4                                         |                                                 16   |
|       24 | Rajasthan    | 69.7                                         |                                                 31.5 |
|       25 | Sikkim       | 59.2                                         |                                                 15.8 |
|       26 | Tamil Nadu   | 64.2                                         |                                                 23.3 |
|       27 | Tripura      | 62.9                                         |                                                 30.5 |
|       28 | Uttar P.     | 73.9                                         |                                                 34.3 |
|       29 | Uttarakhand  | 61.4                                         |                                                 20.6 |
|       30 | West Bengal  | 61                                           |                                                 30   |