Highlights

• Development is about expanding the capabilities of the disadvantaged, thereby improving their overall quality of life.
• Comparison of nutrition indicators for children under five years, using the third and fourth rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2015–2016 and 2005-06, shows this: though stunting has declined from 46.3% to 34.4%, wasting rates have increased from 16.5% to 25.6%. Further, the underweight rate (36%) has remained static in the last 10 years.
• This is worse than in some of the world’s poorest countries — Bangladesh (33%), Afghanistan (25%) or Mozambique (15%). This level of poor nutrition security disproportionately affects the poorest segment of the population.
• According to NFHS 2015-16, every second tribal child suffers from growth restricting malnutrition due to chronic hunger.

Source: The Hindu