Malnutrition in Gujarat: 37% children stunted, 20% underweight

The malnutrition among children in Gujarat remains extremely concerning despite numerous schemes and policies in place. A study released by the government revealed that 36.53% of children in Gujarat are stunted (suffering from impaired growth), and 19.84% are underweight.

According to available data, among children aged 0 to 5 years, Uttar Pradesh ranks first in the country with the highest number of underweight children at 48.72%. Bihar ranks second, and Maharashtra is third on the list.

A small relief is that the percentage of stunted children in Gujarat has decreased over the past three years — from 51.80% in 2023 to 43.48% in 2024, and now down to 36.53%.

Currently, the national average of stunted children is 39.09%, and Gujarat is marginally better compared to the national situation. Additionally, 3.35% of children in the state are underweight relative to their height, a slight improvement from 8.30% in 2023. However, 19.84% of children under five still suffer from being malnourished. Bihar again leads in this category, with 24.09% of children being underweight.

According to the government’s claims, under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme, children under six years of age, as well as pregnant and lactating women, are provided with supplementary nutrition, immunisation, health check-ups, and referral services. Children aged 6 months to 3 years receive take-home rations, and over 15.64 lakh children between 3 to 6 years are given a daily hot breakfast and cooked lunch at Anganwadi centres.

Pregnant and lactating women are provided supplementary nutrition through ‘Balshakti’, ‘Matrushakti’, and ‘Purnashakti’ take-home rations. Under the Mukhyamantri Matrushakti Yojana first-time pregnant women and mothers of children under two years of age are given raw ration kits containing 2 kg of chickpeas, 1 kg of toor dal, and 1 litre of fortified oil. Over the past year, more than 5 lakh women have benefited from this scheme.