21% Indian children are under-weight: Global Hunger Index
They have extremely low weight for their height; the only country with a higher prevalence of child wasting is war-torn South Sudan.
At least one in five Indian children under the age of five are wasted, which means they have extremely low weight for their height, reflecting acute under-nutrition, according to the Global Hunger Index 2018. The only country with a higher prevalence of child wasting is the war-torn nation of South Sudan, says the report, which was released on Thursday.
Overall, India has been ranked at 103 out of 119 countries in the Index, with hunger levels in the country categorised as “serious”. India’s ranking has dropped three places from last year, although the Index says its results are not accurately comparable from year to year and instead provides a few reference years for comparable data. The 2018 scores reflect data from 2013-2017.
Four main indicators are used to calculate hunger levels in the report, which is a peer-reviewed publication released annually by Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide. (The International Food Policy Research Institute was also involved with the publication until this year.)
The first indicator is undernourishment, which is the share of the population which is undernourished and reflects insufficient caloric intake. The next three indicators use data for children under five: child wasting (low weight for height), reflecting acute under-nutrition; child stunting (low height for age), reflecting chronic under-nutrition; and child mortality.
India has shown improvement in three of the indicators over the comparable reference years. The percentage of undernourished people in the population has dropped from 18.2% in 2000 to 14.8% in 2018. The child mortality rate has halved from 9.2% to 4.3%, while child stunting has dropped from 54.2% to 38.4% over the same period.
However, the prevalence of child wasting has actually worsened in comparison to previous reference years. It stood at 17.1% in 2000, and increased to 20% in 2005. In 2018, it stands at 21%. South Sudan’s child wasting prevalence is at 28%.
Child wasting is high across South Asia, constituting a “critical public health emergency”, according to UN organisations. The report notes that wasting rates are highest for infants aged 0 to 5 months, suggesting that attention to birth outcomes and breastfeeding is important.
Also, child wasting in the region is associated with a low maternal body mass index, suggesting the need for a focus on the nutritional status of the mother during pregnancy.
The report notes that in South Asia, “maternal BMI and access to improved water and sanitation are more closely associated with rates of child wasting than household wealth, suggesting that a reduction in poverty alone may not be sufficient to correct the problem…Factors that could reduce child stunting in South Asia include increased consumption of non-staple foods, access to sanitation, women’s education, access to safe water, gender equality, and national food availability.”
Globally, the level of hunger still falls into the “serious” category, despite improvement over the last two decades. The Index projects that at the current rate of progress, 50 countries will fail to reach the “low” hunger category by 2030. This puts the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 2, which aims to end hunger by 2030, in jeopardy, says the report.
Courtesy: www.thehindu.com
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Bengaluru MLAs 'blackmailing' us, says Deputy CM DK Shivakumar as garbage crisis worsens
Bengaluru, Mar 14 (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday alleged that the city MLAs across political parties are "blackmailing" the government over Bengaluru's garbage crisis.
Referring to them as "blackmailers" in the Legislative Council, he claimed that these MLAs are demanding Rs 800 crore in development funds.
He further alleged there is a "big mafia" controlling the city's solid waste management.
The Deputy CM was replying to MLC M Nagaraju’s question on the garbage issue in the city.
Nagaraju pointed out that many garbage transporting vehicles are stranded on the roads due to lack of waste disposal facilities. He also expressed concerns about waste not being cleared from the city.
“I have seen reports about the garbage problem in the media. There is a big mafia. The garbage contractors have formed a cartel and quoted prices 85 per cent higher than the standard rates. Now, they have approached the court preventing us from taking action,” Shivakumar, who is Bengaluru Development Minister, told the Council.
He further claimed that legal hurdles are delaying government efforts to streamline solid waste management.
Shivakumar revealed that the government had planned to divide the city's garbage disposal work into four packages and transport waste 50 km away, but the initiative has been stalled.
“Our Bengaluru MLAs are blackmailing us. I don’t want to name them. I am telling you the fact. They are from all the parties. They want Rs 800 crore as development funds. I cannot take their names here.”
He told the Council that for the past three days vehicles were stranded in Mahadevapura in the city.
Noting that he wanted to take the garbage at least 50 km away from the city, the Deputy CM appealed to the MLAs to help the BBMP identify 100 acres land in Kolar, Nelamangala, Kanakapura Road, or next to a forest land.
“I (government) will purchase it (land) and get a permanent solution. I asked the Industries Minister for 100 acres land, to which he wondered whether garbage be dumped inside industries?” Shivakumar said.
The Deputy CM said the experiment to generate power has failed.
“I had been to Hyderabad and Chennai. All electric (units) have failed. The only option is gas. There is a chance to generate gas. I had seen it at three to four places,” he opined.
Two locations have been identified for waste disposal – one is with the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) Road authorities and another one in Doddaballapura.
According to him, technologies exist to manage waste disposal efficiently without causing inconvenience to anyone or contaminating groundwater through leachate.
Shivakumar pointed out that all the governments have failed to find a humane solution to the garbage issue.
“What was done in the past was not done from the human perspective. Siddaramaiah and even the BJP had made promises but ultimately we have failed. We have to make a respectful arrangement for garbage disposal,” he noted.
He told the House that he would give a detailed reply on the issue on Monday.
