CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -As per the recent report of NFHS-5 (2019-21), the nutrition indicators for children under 5 years have improved as compared with NFHS-4 (2015-16). Stunting has reduced from 38.4% to 35.5%, Wasting has reduced from 21.0% to 19.3% and Underweight prevalence has reduced from 35.8% to 32.1%.

Detailed explanation-2: -India still has one of the worst rates of child malnutrition in the world, despite decades of investment to address this problem. India is ranked at the bottom of the Global Hunger Index (2022), which is determined by factors such as child stunting, wasting, and death placing India in 107th rank of 121 Countries.

Detailed explanation-3: -NFHS-4 found 43.8 percent of ST children under the age of five were stunted, 27.4 were wasted and 45.3 are underweight. This is the highest percentage share among all the three categories. Among children belonging to the SC category, 42.8 percent are stunted, 21.2 percent are wasted and 39.1 percent are underweight.

Detailed explanation-4: -The last available figure of malnourished children is from NFHS-4 (National Family Health Survey) in 2015-16 according to which 38.4% children under five years are low height-for-age and 21% wasted or low weight-for-height in India.

Detailed explanation-5: -Over 40% of youngsters receive less food than they should, and almost a third of Indians are thought to be malnourished.