New Delhi, April 29: Ambedkar Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati’s bastion, has the dubious distinction of cradling a large number of malnourished Dalit children, according to a survey by CRY.
In fact, Delhi — which boasts a high per capita income — and Madhya Pradesh too were also found wanting in ensuring nutritive food for children, particularly those living in slums and tribal areas, respectively, in the two States.
The study by the international NGO conducted last fiscal noted that of the 2,841 children surveyed in eight districts, including Ambedkar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh, over 54 per cent were malnourished.
Worst, only 70 per cent of the required strength of anganwadi centres are in place in UP, while only 50 per cent children get any service under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), operational since 1975.
“It is sad that even though UP’s Chief Minister is a Dalit, nothing much has been done for the children of Dalits in Ambedkar Nagar. Of the 550 surveyed children, over 90 per cent were found to be malnourished,” said RB Pal from an NGO, Voice of People, which was part of the survey.
CRY director Yogita Verma said what was more worrying was that among the total malnourished surveyed, over 89 per cent were in acute condition while 6 per cent in moderate and 5 per cent in low category. The surveyed districts include Muradabad, Badayun, Shahjahanpur, Faizabad, Sultanpur and Azamgarh, besides Ambedkar Nagar.
“Under-nourishment not only retards physical development but also hampers the learning and cognitive process,” Verma said, underlining the need for integrating all benefit schemes for wider reach.
The situation was no better in Madhya Pradesh where, according to a Government report, over 60 per cent children are malnourished and 82 per cent anaemic.
Closer home, Delhi too failed to ensure healthy nutrition for slum children, the abode of migrants.
“The percentage of malnourished children in Delhi’s urban slums is as high as 66 per cent with diarrhoea being the major cause of death. “Only 45.5 per cent of children under the age of six years have access to ICDS centres,” said activist Ram Kumar, who was part of the survey in Delhi.
–Agencies–