Roughly 40% of all under-nourished children under 5 years of age live in India. This report by Sam Mendelson and Dr. Samir Chaudhuri dismisses many prevalent myths about child malnutrition in India and points to real solutions.
Even after a decade of galloping economic growth, child malnutrition rates are worse here than in many sub-Saharan African countries, and they stand out as a paradox in a proud democracy.
China, that other Asian economic powerhouse, sharply reduced child malnutrition, and now just 7 percent of its children under 5 are underweight, a critical gauge of malnutrition.
In India, by contrast, despite robust growth and good government intentions, the comparable number is 42.5 percent. Malnutrition makes children more prone to illness and stunts physical and intellectual growth for a lifetime.
I am very suprised to learn that India lags behind even many impoverished African nations on child nutrition