Gujarat districts rank among top 10 malnourished in India

Nearly 40% of Gujarat’s children are malnourished, and five of its districts—Dangs, Narmada, Panchmahal, and Tapi—are among India’s 10 worst, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS). Not one Gujarat district features in the nation’s top 10 for child nutrition.

The findings underline persistent malnutrition in a state governed by the same party for three decades, despite repeated pledges of a “malnutrition-free Gujarat” and large public spending. Critics say the figures show a continuing policy failure.

Opposition alleges neglect and misuse of funds

State Congress president Amit Chavda and former cabinet minister Jaynarayan Vyas told reporters that government corruption and mismanagement had “ensured that only officials and middlemen have become healthy and well-fed, while children remain malnourished.” They accused the administration of ignoring basic welfare measures while diverting Anganwadi staff to political events.

They cited NFHS data estimating that of 33 lakh malnourished children in India, almost half are severely undernourished, with Gujarat among the worst affected.

Crumbling Anganwadi network

Infrastructure for child-care centres remains inadequate. Many Anganwadis operate from rented or dilapidated buildings without electricity, toilets, or drinking water. Some centres in Patan district run from workers’ own homes; one villager said, “Because of such an environment, we no longer send our children to the Anganwadi.”

Workers report being burdened with crowd-mobilisation duties for government programmes, leaving little time for pre-primary education. Despite a Gujarat High Court order, salaries remain delayed in several areas, and in some villages two centres share a single space.

Equipment lies unused, key posts vacant

A report from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) found that ₹3.82 crore worth of water-purification machines purchased for Anganwadis remain idle, leaving children without clean drinking water.

According to official figures, 8,452 Anganwadis function in broken-down buildings, 3,381 in temporary facilities, and 30 in the open. More than 1,000 centres lack drinking water, and over 1,200 have no toilets.

Vacancies compound the crisis: 5,532 posts—including District Programme Officers, Child Development Project Officers, Lady Supervisors, and frontline workers—are unfilled. More than half the sanctioned posts for District Programme Officer and Child Development Project Officer have remained vacant for years.

Workers say support is missing

Anganwadi staff also allege that promised allowances are unpaid. The government pledged ₹10,000 per worker for mobile phones, but many report no payment and must cover their own internet costs.

Critics argue that these gaps—dilapidated centres, unspent funds, and staff shortages—underscore the state’s failure to meet its own nutrition goals, leaving Gujarat’s poorest children at risk of continued hunger and disease.

Key shortfalls in Gujarat’s Anganwadi network