This article discusses, what India should do with the measures taken by China in the face of a serious problem like malnutrition across the Nation.
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Poverty and lack of food security are believed to be the causes of malnutrition. From this, the vicious cycle of malnutrition and then hunger and overeating begins, this paradox is born. The Global Malnutrition Report 2018 states, “The level of malnutrition is very high, malnutrition is seen in every country in the world. Nevertheless, we have the opportunity today to end malnutrition. ”Currently, malnutrition costs the global economy goes as high as $100 billion annually. Infant and maternal malnutrition is one of the biggest health-related burdens in the world.
Malnutrition is very high in the world. 15.08 crore children under the age of five are underweight, 5 crore children are severely affected and 2 crore newborns are underweight at birth. But at the same time, 3.8 crore children were overweight. It is important to note that India is at the forefront in terms of both inadequate growth (4.66 crore) and severe consequences (2.55 crore). Overweight children are in India (2%) and China (7%).
India and China have a lot in common. These are the most populous countries in the world. Collectively the two main countries have most human settlement and account for 2/5 of the global population. India's economy today is the fastest growing in the world. India is ahead of China today. However, in order to reap the benefits, India will have to maintain its lead. India ranks 103rd out of 119 countries in the World Hunger Index, while China ranks 25th. The situation of hunger and malnutrition in India is critical, while in China it is relatively negligible. Poverty rate in India has come down from 55% to 28% over the last decade. Even so, India lags far behind in terms of health, nutrition, education, living standards, etc. Ten years ago, China similarly reduced the poverty rate to 4% today. According to the World Poverty Clock, India lags far behind China in the fight against extreme poverty.
India has been grappling with the problem of malnutrition for a long time, and a reduction in malnutrition will make the journey towards poverty alleviation and economic growth more vigorous.
Today, India's ready-made and packaged food industry is booming. The growth of this industry is creating problems while facing the double whammy of malnutrition. According to a report by Access to Nutrition, 12% of beverages and 16% of foodstuffs marketed by companies in this industry have high nutritional value. This is a serious issue. By 2020, the Indian food market will be the largest in the world, after China and the United States, according to Euromonitor. If there is to be any improvement in nutrition, it is necessary for the Government of India to set some concrete policies and standards for the sector and implement them.
In terms of human development, malnutrition is the biggest challenge facing India today. The 4th National Family Health Survey found that 41.5% of mothers breastfeed their babies in the first hour after birth. That is, only two out of five mothers can breastfeed their baby in the first hour after birth. Only 54.9% of mothers were able to breastfeed their babies for the first six months. That is, one in two mothers. After six months, only 42.7% of mothers do other feeding, but only 9.6% of babies (only one in ten) get the proper nutrition. This ratio is very worrying. These are just some of the goal setting shareware that you can use. But efforts to improve the situation have not been very successful
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As shown in the graph above, the level of malnutrition in India is very worrying. 38.4% of children are malnourished. So, 35.7% of children are underweight. The Integrated Child Development Service was started in 1975. In 1995, mid-day meal / mid-day meal scheme was introduced across the country. Still, the picture is clear today. On the other hand, in the last ten years, the rate of overweight / obesity in adults has increased to 18.9% in men and 20.6% in women.
Malnutrition was studied in relation to economic status. Five identical groups were made according to economic status. It found that as the family's financial situation improved, so did malnutrition. In the lowest group, 51% of the children were stunted and 49% were underweight. The educational background of the family also affects malnutrition. The incidence of malnutrition in children from families with an educational background appears to be lower than in children from families with no education at all. The trend is similar in China. However, the rate of malnutrition is lower than in India. As the standard of living rises or social inequality decreases, so does malnutrition. However, the extent to which it is reduced varies from country to country.
The educational background of the family also affects malnutrition. The incidence of malnutrition in children from families with an educational background appears to be lower than in children from families with no education at all. The trend is similar in China. However, the rate of malnutrition is lower than in India. As the standard of living rises or social inequality decreases, so does malnutrition. However, the extent to which it is reduced varies from country to country.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a number of policies and programs that are in line with the government's goal of eradicating hunger. However, they are not implemented. Recently, a National Nutrition Policy has been formulated with the objective of eradicating malnutrition by 2022. So, there seems to be little hope. The National Nutrition Campaign, run under this policy, is working at the grassroots level, bringing local social elements together, bringing together different elements. But the budgets provide so little funding for overall nutrition that it poses many challenges.
At the end of the study, it has been found that for every rupee spent so that the growth of children is not stunted, there is a return of eighteen times. Therefore, complete eradication of malnutrition should be a top priority for the government and policy makers.
Malnutrition is also a problem in China. Although China has made significant progress in both child health and development over the past few decades, some challenges remain. The situation is very different in rural and urban areas. This indicates that there is a huge gap in the availability of health services in both these areas. The growing population is a major challenge facing China. Today, China alone accounts for 18% of the world's population. But the cultivable land is only 10% of the world. Therefore, it is important to take care of food security. Land and water pollution, water scarcity and the growing need for food have further complicated the food security problem facing China. Maintaining security for both water and food and sustaining economic growth are major challenges facing China today.
Malnutrition is also a problem in China. Although China has made significant progress in both child health and development over the past few decades, some challenges remain.
Nevertheless, China has already achieved its first goal of eradicating both extreme poverty and hunger under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. It is also confirmed by the decline in the type of growth retardation or weight loss in the last decade.
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In terms of nutrition, by 2030, some specific goals are to be achieved at the international level. China's contribution in this regard is remarkable. It is on track to achieve the two goals of preventing both malnutrition and anemia. However, India does not seem to be able to achieve any of these goals in a timely manner. There is a lot to learn from China in terms of setting the right policies and implementing them in the right way.
The Global Nutrition Report suggests some solutions. E.g. The determination made by the government. The Chinese government has demonstrated both determination and political will in tackling the problem of malnutrition. At the same time, China has worked on this issue in many ways. Instead of simply increasing food production, the focus was on improving the quality of that food. The food distribution system was also improved. Working together on many aspects such as health, nutrition, agriculture to increase nutritional value and diversity has led to greater success in the economic and agricultural sectors as well. All of this, of course, made it easier to supply such a large population with nutritious food. And as a result, the growth of children is stunted. The Chinese government has two plans, Healthy China 2030 (according to which health will be considered in every policy decision) and the National Nutrition Plan (2017-2030). Insufficient growth, obesity,
The imbalance in the growth and development of both China and India is quite obvious. It is clear that this is due to the poor quality of education in India and the incidence of diseases. This confirms Amartya Sen's assertion that "India's low literacy rate and poor health" and "China's investment in health and education" have led to disparities in the development of the two countries.
In the end, there are solutions to all these problems. However, proper implementation and proper prioritization of nutrition related programs need to be done. Only then will India be able to secure the future of its future generations, enjoy the benefits of a growing population, and achieve long-term economic growth.
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