Bhopal: State ready to declare Datia, Burhanpur malnutrition-free

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The government is trying to remove the stain that the state has got because of malnutrition. Malnutrition in the state came to light in the reports of National Health Family Survey (NFHS-5).

To prove that malnutrition has been controlled, the state government is getting ready to declare Datia and Burhanpur malnutrition-free districts.

The Women and Child Development Department (WCDD) has asked the officials of the department in these two districts to cure all the children of malnutrition by month-end. So, they are monitoring the malnourished children whose weight is taken every month and who are provided with nutritious food.

According to sources, there are 500 malnourished children in these two districts, but none of them is highly malnourished. The WCD wants to give a message to the country by bringing those malnourished children on a par with the healthy ones.

According to government statistics, there are two lakh malnourished children in the state. Out of them, 37, 000 are highly malnourished.

The organisations which work for ending malnutrition among children say 10% of those who are born in the state are malnourished.

Additional chief secretary of WCD Ashok Shah says efforts are on to cure children in Burhanpur and Datia of malnutrition.

According to Shah, these two districts have been given a target for it. Nevertheless, the number of malnourished children has declined from last year, he said.

The department is making efforts to control malnourishment at all costs, he said.