NEW DELHI: India remains severely affected by malnutrition, with one of the highest rates of within-country inequalities in malnutrition globally, the 2020 Global Nutrition Report said.
However, some progress has been made to tackle stunting and underweight, and the country has put in place innovative programmes aimed at reaching the most vulnerable.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the weakness of food and health systems, disproportionately impacting already vulnerable populations.
The report stresses that the need to address malnutrition in all its forms by tackling injustices in food and health systems is now more urgent than ever.
India has had some success in reducing rates of underweight in child and adolescents. Between 2000 and 2016, rates have decreased from 66.0 per cent to 58.1 per cent for boys and 54.2 per cent to 50.1 per cent in girls.
However, this is still high compared to the average of 35.6 per cent for boys and 31.8 per cent for girls in the Asia region.
In addition, 37.9 per cent of children under 5 years of age are stunted and 20.8 per cent are wasted, compared to the Asia average of 22.7 per cent and 9.4 per cent respectively.
Diet-related diseases continue to be an issue, with one in two women of reproductive age experiencing anaemia. On the other hand, rates of overweight and obesity continue to rise, affecting almost one fifth of adults at 21.6 per cent of females and 17.8 per cent of men. (AGENCIES)
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