Government questioned the methodology and data accuracy of the Global Hunger Index (GHI) report, NGO Welthungerhilfe which compiles the report, alleging that children considered healthy were also counted to determine the ranking.  

• According to the report , 14 per cent of India’s population was undernourished.
• The country recorded a 37.4 per cent stunting rate among children under five and a wasting rate of 17.3 per cent. The under-five mortality rate stood at 3.7 per cent.
• Data from 1991 through 2014 showed India experienced a decline in under-five mortality, driven largely by a decrease in deaths from birth asphyxia or trauma, neonatal infections, pneumonia, and diarrhoea.
• However, child mortality, caused by prematurity and low birth weight, increased particularly in poorer states and rural areas.

                  LEARNING FROM HOME/WITHOUT CLASSSE/BASICS    

For several decades India was dealing with only one form of malnutrition– undernutrition. In the last decade, now faces the double burden which includes both over- and undernutrition,

      What is malnutrition?

Malnutrition is the condition that develops when the body does not get the right amount of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients it needs to maintain healthy tissues and organ function. The term malnutrition covers 2 broad groups of conditions.

One is ‘—which includes stunting (low height for age)reflecting chronic undernutrition. ; It is is associated with an underdeveloped brain, poor learning capacity, and increased nutrition-related diseases.), wasting (low weight for height) reflecting acute undernutrition; It is associated with decreased fat mass. Also known as wasting syndrome, it causes muscle and fat tissue to waste away.)

underweight (low weight for age) and micronutrient deficiencies or insufficiencies (a lack of important vitamins and minerals).

The other is overweight, obesity and diet-related noncommunicable diseases (such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer).

Children who are already undernourished can suffer from protein-energy malnutrition (PEM).

Two types of PEM are— Kwashiorkor and Marasmus.

Maternal death is when a woman dies during her pregnancy or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy

IMR: The death of a baby before his or her first birthday is called infant mortality. The infant mortality rate is the number of infant deaths that occur for every 1,000 live births.

NNR:A neonatal death is defined as a death during the first 28 days of life (0-27 days) per 1000 live births