Nearly 37% children under five stunted, govt data shows
New Delhi (PTI): About 37.07 per cent of children under five registered on the Poshan Tracker were found to be stunted, 15.93 per cent under weight and 5.46 per cent wasted, according to official data.
'Wasted' is a condition where a person, especially a child, is too thin for her or his height.
In response to a question in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur said Uttar Pradesh reported the highest rate of stunting at 48.83 per cent, followed closely by Jharkhand (43.26 per cent), Bihar (42.68 per cent) and Madhya Pradesh (42.09 per cent).
Nearly 8.61 crore children up to the age of six were registered for these services as of June 2025, which is a slight decline from the previous year's 8.91 crore, according to the data.
Further, Thakur said around two lakh Anganwadi centres are being upgraded into 'Saksham Anganwadis' with modern infrastructure and digital learning tools.
As of now, 88,716 mini Anganwadis across 20 states and Union Territories have been approved for upgradation, she said in a written response.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
