It was a usual night for me, was scrolling news feed on my phone sitting in my living room dinner been served by Mumma and news on television. I am not that fond of watching news but then too I love spending time with my mother discussing several stuff.  

A news headline comes up on the television saying “Bhook aur Kuposhan ka sikar bharat”. After watching the news for a while my mother sarcastically said “dekh rhe ho in bachon ko kaise dikh rhe hain aur ek tum log ho sab kuch achey se lake do fir bhi ye nahi khana vo nahi khana karte rehte ho”

Her words felt like bullets shot on my head I was in a state of self-realization and thanked the almighty for giving me such luxury that I have all the amenities which someone wishes for……!

The news struck me too deep I sat on my laptop and tried to find out more about starvation and malnutrition and I got to know that the weight of a healthy child should generally increase by two to three kilograms every year.

The problem can be considered as serious when the weight and height of a child are less than the ideal measurement accepted at the world, weight loss and stunting are two different problems, which are found in such children.

Some symptoms of malnutrition include body fat deficiency, difficulty in breathing, a low temperature of the body, weak immunity, sensitive skin, and more time in filling wounds, muscle weakness, fatigue, and irritability.

Facts & Figure

In the surveys conducted in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh it was found that in the backward areas of the country, children are still losing their lives due to hunger. It has been said in the report that if attention is given to these deaths then these deaths can be stopped.

According to UNICEF's report, due to malnutrition in India, about 10 lakh children under 5 years of age die every year. In the case of child mortality, Uttar Pradesh is at the forefront of the country. There is an infant mortality rate of 64 per thousand children and the child mortality rate of children below five years is 78 per thousand children.

According to this health survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Government of India, 46.3% of the children aged 0 to 5 years in UP are malnourished. In Bihar, 48.3 percent, while in UP, 39.5 percent of children are under the age of their age. 

The report says, "Scheduled Tribe (28%), Scheduled Castes (21%), Backward Castes (20%) and Rural Community (21%) in India are an extremely heavy burden of malnutrition."

On the other hand, Vandana Krishna, who runs the Rajmata Jijau Mission in Maharashtra, says that the state government is taking several steps to reduce malnutrition, but at the same time, she also pointed out that success in the Dalit and tribal areas has not yet been achieved. In addition to providing food to the children in the United Nations report, there is also a description of the waste of food in the country.

Obesity malnutrition in urban children

According to a new research, in the last four decades, obesity levels have increased tenfold in children under the age of 18 years. This means that the number of obese children worldwide is now more than 12 million. Lancet's research is the largest research of its kind in which results have been based on data from 200 countries around the world. The biggest reason for this is also the use of computers, laptops or mobile sitting in junk food and in one place.