November 29, 2019
Ahamed Hassan makes a Special Mention on sustainable and affordable nutrition
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Recent studies have estimated that the per capita cost of a daily diet that is both nutritious and affordable amounts to Rs. 200 per day. Given the per capita income of India, there is a real challenge in ensuring that citizens, especially children, are consuming food with the right nutritional values.
More than half the number of deaths of children under five years of age occur due to malnutrition (over 7 lakh deaths in 2017), which also poses serious maternal health issues leading to neonatal disorders in the children. Although India’s under-5 mortality rate has improved over the last few years, the proportion of deaths due to malnutrition has not decreased significantly.
Recent reports from various parts of the country claiming that children at schools are not being served nutritious food as part of their midday meal further exacerbates this problem. Taking due cognisance of this problem, the West Bengal Education Department has fixed the menu for midday meals at schools across the state with a nutritious combination of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food with regular servings of lentils. It is urgent that the government aids the states in their effort to ensure that every child has access to a nutritious and affordable diet that can pave the way to a brighter future for our country.
