According to a report presented to the Lok Sabha, 39.73 per cent of children under the age of five years in the state are malnourished.
The situation is improving though, as in 2020 51.92% and in 2023, 43.78% of the state’s children were found to be malnourished, yet mismanagement and missed priorities have scuttled chances of early amelioration of the persistent problem.
It has been revealed that every fourth child in the state is malnourished. Not only that, 21.39 per cent of children are found to be underweight. In the country, among the bigger states, Gujarat has the most underweight children after Madhya Pradesh.
Gujarat is often branded as ‘Model State’ and the country’s ‘Growth engine’, but the reality is quite disheartening. Out of the Rs 2,879 crore funds allocated to Gujarat to fight malnourishment, the state has used only Rs 1,310 crore.
In June 2024, in the list of states with the problem of malnourishment among children, Gujarat ranks sixth. Though Gujarat fares better than Uttar Pradesh (46.36%), Maharashtra (44.59%), and Assam (41.98%), it is surprisingly behind Tripura, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh.
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