-By Milan K Sinha
We know how important it is for the country's real development to have a healthy popoulation, more particularly of women & children.We talk and promise so much on the issue of child & woman welfare and roll out so many plans and strategies. But, malnutrition & under-nutrition have not stopped taking its toll in our country and as per a report of UNICEF, one in every three malnourished children in the world live in India. In January this year, the our Prime Minister said, despite impressive GDP growth, the level of under-nutrition was unacceptably high which he termed as a "National Shame."
Let us consider some more facts:
- About 50% of all childhood deaths are attributed to malnutrition.
- Over two million under- 5 deaths take place due to under-nutrition.To say,6000 deaths every day. 250 deaths per hour on an average.
- The under-nutrition cases are the highest in MP,Orissa, Bihar, UP & Rajasthan
- 74% children under three & 52% of women in India are Anaemic.
- As high as 44% chidren under 5 years are underweight.
It is also observed during various surveys that:
- Malnutrition in early childhood has serious long term consequences, because it impedes development of vital human organs. As such,it has a lasting impact on the child's overall physical & mental development.
- Malnourished children will struggle at school and are more prone to infectious diseases including HIV.
- Most of these children come from socially deprived & poorest communities-tribals and lower castes where illiteracy is poor and poverty relatively very high.
- Adequate nourishment of the pregnant women was found to be very crucial not only for good health of the mother but also for the child's birth and thereafter.
Thus, the question is: who will address these issues which is a blot on our economic growth theory and more impotantly why it continues to be a national shame even after 65 years of independence?
जानता हूँ , शोषण-कुपोषण का रिश्ता है पुराना
पर अब तो लोग नए हैं, नया है जमाना
फिर, कब तक मिटेगा यह अंधकार,
कब तक रहेंगे हम यूँ ही शर्मसार ?
कब तक रहेंगे हम यूँ ही शर्मसार ?
Will meet again with Open Mind. All the Best.
A serious matter to be discussed. The answer to your question is that everyone should do his/her own part of duty to eradicate poverty. Only in that way, we can reach to a level where nutrition related issues will be negligible. All the best.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading & sharing your point of views. Keep reading, sharing & reacting. All the Best.
ReplyDeleteIt is really painful as well as shameful that even after 65 years of independence, such a large no. of our children still suffer from malnutrition owing to acute poverty.Our public health care system is also far below the level of expectation.Only a meagre percentage of allocated money is really effective Inhuman attitude of those entrusted for human welfare is highly deplorable.
ReplyDeleteD.Ghosh
Yes, you are very correct. The power that be & its implementing machinery are beset with the infamous "CREED & DEED" syndrome.
DeleteThanks a lot for sharing your point of view so forcefully. All the Best.
selfishness of the political class has cost the nation in many ways..this is another example... The tribal regions have bore the brunt of political indifference for many decades. That their children are among the worst affected, is not surprising any more. Yes, it is a national shame, but our leaders(most of them) don't really care.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading & sharing your views so convincingly. All the Best.
Delete