A four-month-old girl's tragic death and a five-year-old boy's severe malnourishment have highlighted the alarming child malnutrition crisis in Madhya Pradesh, India's worst-affected state, according to the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6).
The survey reveals that the state has seen a four percentage point increase in malnourishment over the last five years, with 23.8% of children suffering from wasting (weight for height), the highest proportion in the country.
Madhya Pradesh's underweight (weight for age) rate stands at 39.7%, second only to Jharkhand, with a sharp 6.7 percentage point increase since the last survey.
Despite witnessing improvement in stunted growth rates, the state's child malnutrition crisis remains a pressing concern, with the government's Yashoda scheme, promising tetra milk packs for children, yet to be implemented over a year after its introduction.
Government officials and opposition leaders have expressed concerns over the lack of urgency and resources devoted to tackling the crisis, with a senior official stating that a 'strict campaign-like approach' is needed to improve the condition.
