Stunting Crisis in India, Reasons and Solutions

Context: According to NFHS-5 (2019–21), 5% of children under five in India are stunted, reflecting chronic malnutrition. Despite initiatives like POSHAN Abhiyaan (2018) and the target of Mission 25 by 2022, progress has been minimal, highlighting a deep-rooted nutrition crisis.

Why India’s Stunting Crisis Persists – A Complex Web of Factors

• Maternal Health & Teenage Pregnancies: Around 7% of women aged 15–19 had begun childbearing (2019-21).
  • Adolescent mothers face higher risks of underweight babies and poor child care.
• Poor Maternal Nutrition & Anaemia: 57% of women (15–49 yrs) and 67% of children under five are anaemic.
  • Low nutrient intake (iron, folate, protein) impacts foetal growth.
• Inadequate Infant & Young Child Feeding: Only 64% of infants under six months are exclusively breastfed.
  • C-sections (22% of births in 2021) disrupt early breastfeeding and colostrum feeding.
  • Only 11% of children (6–23 months) meet the minimum acceptable diet.
• Poor Diet Quality: Carbohydrate-heavy meals dominate, with very low intake of protein and micronutrients.
  • Limited access to eggs, pulses, vegetables, and milk in poor/Adivasi households.
• Educational Divide: 46% of children born to mothers with no schooling are stunted vs. 26% for mothers with 12+ years of schooling.
  • Education influences antenatal care, nutrition, and delaying early marriage.
• Unsafe Sanitation & Water: 19% of households still practice open defecation.
  • Poor sanitation leads to diarrhoea and gut infections, reducing nutrient absorption (enteric dysfunction).

What Can Be the Solution for the Stunting Crisis in India?

• Strengthening Maternal Health & Nutrition: Focused interventions for adolescent girls: iron-folic acid supplements, school-based nutrition programs.
  • Prevent child marriage and early pregnancies through stricter enforcement and awareness.
• Improving Infant & Child Feeding Practices: Promote exclusive breastfeeding (first 6 months) and timely complementary feeding.
  • Reduce unnecessary C-sections and ensure breastfeeding support in hospitals.
• Ensuring Diet Diversity: Universal provision of eggs, pulses, and micronutrient-rich foods in ICDS/Anganwadi and Mid-Day Meals.
  • Scale-up biofortification (iron-rich millet, zinc-rich rice).
• Tackling Anaemia: Expand Anaemia Mukt Bharat with mass deworming, iron supplementation, and dietary diversification.
• Education & Women’s Empowerment: Incentivise girls’ secondary education.
  • Integrate nutrition awareness into school curriculum and self-help groups.
• Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH): Strengthen Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Mission to eliminate open defecation and unsafe drinking water.

Conclusion

India’s stunting crisis is not merely a nutrition issue—it is the outcome of an interlinked web of maternal health, education, diet, sanitation, and socio-economic deprivation. While POSHAN Abhiyaan created momentum, its targets remain unmet because interventions were fragmented. A holistic, life-cycle approach—starting from adolescent girls’ health, maternal care, diet diversity, WASH, and women’s education—is critical. Only then can India break the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition and unlock its demographic dividend.

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