Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh faces a critical child nutrition crisis, with approximately one in three children under five malnourished. The state ranks third in the country in malnutrition among children from 0-5 years of age.
Complementary Feeding Day is observed annually in India on June 6 to promote the safe, timely and nutritious introduction of complementary food for children to save them from malnutrition.
As per the Central government's reply in Rajya Sabha in 2026, Madhya Pradesh has 35% stunting, 19% wasting and 33% underweight children.
Bihar leads with 42% while Jharkhand is in the second spot with 39.6% underweight children.
Wasting means a child is dangerously thin for their height, while stunting means a child is too short for their age compared to global growth standards.
Chhindwara, Dhar, Barwani, Jhabua, Alirajpur, Khargone, Satna and Sheopur districts have a high burden of malnourished children.
These districts have the highest burden of both Moderately Acute Malnutrition (MAM) and Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM).
Funds for tackling child malnutrition remain around 18% of the Women and Child Development (WCD) outlay, prioritising cash transfers over direct nutritional support.
The state government launched Yashoda Dugdh Praday Yojana to tackle child malnutrition.
Backed by Rs 6,600-crore outlay over five years, the state increased funding for Poshan Abhiyan 2.0, introduced by the Centre to take care of malnourished children, from Rs 42 crore to Rs 250 crore.
Dr Rajesh Tikkas, HoD, Pediatric Department, Gandhi Medical College, said, We have launched a massive campaign in Madhya Pradesh to raise awareness among parents on how to provide supplementary food to children up to five years to prevent malnutrition.
