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Most of Rural India Under The Grip of Malnutrition: UNWFP Report

by VR Sreeraman on Feb 22 2009 11:47 AM

The United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) says that most rural Indians are victims of malnutrition, despite the introduction of several government schemes to end the problem.

A UNWFP with MS Swaminathan Research Foundation report released here said that 40 per cent of children under the age of three are underweight and a third of all men and women suffer from chronic energy deficiency. t also stressed nutritional outcomes and the associated factors which influence them.

MS Swaminathan, the founder of the research foundation, said:If you want to achieve food security for an individual you must bring three things together - availability of food, access to food - that means the purchasing power needed to buy the food - and finally the ability to absorb the food into the body."

The report examines the effectiveness of some of the important food-based interventions like the Public Distribution System, the Integrated Child Development Services and the Mid Day Meal Scheme and recommends measures for improved performance.

A survey by the Indian health ministry, backed by UNICEF, had found that almost 46 percent of children under the age of three are undernourished.

Source-ANI
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