Click to play videoNew Delhi: A report by NGOs US AID and CARE INDIA has some good news. There has been 8 per cent decline in malnutrition cases in nine states across India's poorest states in the past seven years.
The credit has been given to the ‘Aanganwadi’ scheme workers called ‘Behenjis’ who have been educating villagers in the poorest states.
Experts are happy and say that the figure calls for celebration. Anupa Siddhu, the Director of Lady Irwin says, "A small change is also a big change in this country. It translates into a big number of people."
Mukesh Kumar of USAID said, "Our experience tells us that the government systems also can deliver results provided it is done with adequate technical support."
The key findings from across 78 districts in these states also suggest a doubling of measles vaccination in children, which is almost a 10 per cent increase in breast feeding, improvement in the reach of food supplements up to 80 per cent in different districts and at least 13,000 infant deaths averted between the years 2001-2006.
All this has been achieved in a very cost effective manner.
"Any intervention I guess is through Health schemes and Panchayats, Nutrition and Health Day. Second intervention is the support from the community, said Mukesh Kumar.
Its a definite relief from the last National health Survey results which projected that almost 50 per cent of India's children had stunted growth. But experts believe that a lot still needs to be done.
"One thing (that needs to be stepped up) is the distribution of nutritive foods and (ensuring that) these are available cheaply," said Sandeep Dikshit, Member of Parliament.
To replicate these models in other parts of the country would require political will and backing.
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