🧒🏻 India’s Underweight Kids: Which States Are Failing?
- MediaFx
- Aug 5
- 2 min read
TL;DR:Over one-third of Indian children under age 5 are underweight. States like Jharkhand, Bihar, and Gujarat top the list. Despite decades of nutrition schemes, key gaps remain.
Where’s the Problem?
According to NFHS-5 (National Family Health Survey, 2019–21):35.5% of children under 5 in India are underweight. That’s 1 in every 3 kids.
Top 5 worst-performing states:
Jharkhand – 39.6%
Bihar – 39.4%
Gujarat – 39.1%
Maharashtra – 36.1%
Uttar Pradesh – 32.1%
Even relatively developed states like Gujarat and Maharashtra are seeing disturbing trends.
How Does This Affect India?
Underweight children are more likely to:
Fall ill frequently
Perform poorly in school
Suffer from long-term developmental issues
Face reduced work potential as adults
There’s also a surprising gender twist—boys are more likely to be underweight than girls in several states.
Why Are So Many Kids Still Hungry?
India runs several schemes:
ICDS (Anganwadi Services)
Mid-Day Meal Programme
POSHAN Abhiyaan
But nutrition delivery is uneven. Many villages don’t have functioning anganwadis, or lack trained health workers and basic resources.
Key issues:
Poor maternal health
Food inflation
Social discrimination
Inadequate sanitation and water
Only 14.8% of Indian children got a minimum acceptable diet, as per NFHS-5.
Who Pays the Price?
Losing out:
Children from tribal, Dalit, and rural communities
Families relying on daily wage work
Mothers with limited access to health education
Gaining:
Private baby food and nutrition supplement brands stepping in where the state falters
Many parents are left choosing between buying milk or paying school fees.
So What for the Common Family?
If your school doesn’t serve eggs in mid-day meals, your kid is already at a disadvantage.If your local anganwadi is shut, who’s monitoring your baby’s weight?If food prices rise again this year, which meal will your family skip?
This is not just a rural or poor problem. Malnutrition affects brain development, learning capacity, and long-term earnings. It affects India's future workforce.
MediaFx Take
India’s children deserve more than ration cards and token schemes. We need:
Hyper-local nutrition tracking
Community kitchens in rural belts
Public accountability for anganwadi and school meal performance
A hungry child isn’t just a statistic—it’s a national emergency.
