About 49 lakh wasted or low weight-for-height children under age 5 in country: Govt
New Delhi, Jul 26: About 49 lakh wasted or low weight-for-height children under the age of five were found in the country in June this year, the Centre said on Wednesday.
Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said as per data recorded in Poshan Tracker, prevalence of wasting among children under five years of age was found to be 7 per cent out of close to seven crore children measured in the country in the month of June itself.
"...Out of which, 2.2 per cent children under five years of age were severely wasted, which is significantly lower than NFHS indicators," Irani said in a written response to the question.
As per the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 2019-21, the prevalence of wasting among children under five years of age is 19.3 in 6.1 lakh households, out of which 7.7 per cent children under five years of age are severely wasted (weight-for-height).
Wasting, defined as low weight-for-height, in children is a serious condition characterised by a rapid and severe loss of weight and muscle mass. It is one of the indicators used to assess and diagnose malnutrition in children.
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5 schoolchildren among 7 killed in blast in southwest Pakistan
Islamabad (PTI): At least seven people, including five schoolchildren and a policeman, were killed on Friday in a remote-controlled blast in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, according to media reports.
The blast occurred at 8.35 am near a school at the Civil Hospital Chowk of the Mastung district of the province, Dawn newspaper reported.
“It appears that an IED (improvised explosive device) attached to a motorcycle was detonated near a police mobile,” Kalat Division Commissioner Naeem Bazai was quoted as saying in the report.
“So far, seven individuals have been killed, including five school students,” Bazai said. At least 22 people were injured in the attack.
Most of those injured were schoolchildren, Geo News reported, adding that they were shifted to a nearby hospital.
A police van and several auto-rickshaws were damaged in the explosion, according to the report.
An emergency was declared across all Quetta hospitals after the blast, the report said quoting the provincial health department spokesperson, adding that all doctors, pharmacists, staff nurses and other medical staff were summoned.
