THE EXTENT AND SEVERITY OF MALNUTRITION IN INDIA: A DISCUSSION (Pages 01-16) by Dr. M. Sridevi in THE INTERNATIONAL MANAGER / ISSN: 2348-9413 (Online); 2348-9405 (Print)

Nutritious food is one of the pre-requisites for a healthy body and mind. The young child under 3 years of age is the most vulnerable period to the vicious cycles of malnutrition, disease, infection and resultant disability. India is one among the many countries where child malnutrition is severe and a major underlying cause of child mortality. Malnutrition is not the result of a single cause; the problem is multifaceted, the causes acting singly or in combination with other complex factors like poverty, purchasing power, health care, ignorance on nutrition and health education, female illiteracy, social convention etc. Hence the present paper makes an attempt to provide a better understanding of the value of nutrition and the need for more investment to improve nutrition. Child malnutrition is an important indicator for measuring the progress of a nation towards economic growth. Several studies have been conducted to assess the role of malnutrition and its linkages to diverse streams of agriculture, health and economy. The present study uses the secondary data and reviews the studies of World Health Organisation (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and various Indian Government reports in assessing the under nutrition burdens in India. A recent UNICEF report on child malnutrition finds that India is home to 61 million stunted children under 5 years of age, which reveals the necessity of more investment in the area of nutrition as they have a long term impact on the economy. The paper also analyses the pathways through which agriculture affects nutrition; the importance of access to safe water, sanitation, health care; and the need for women empowerment to reduce malnutrition. The assessment of the ground reality as reflected by the statistics on nutritional status of children in India becomes horrifying and therefore ensuring adequacy of nutrition is quite significant in India. Keywords: Malnutrition, Stunting, Wasting, Micronutrient deficiencies, Anthropometric indices, Underweight.