It will surprise
few that India’s children are amongst the most likely to suffer malnourishment
however the reasons behind this are certainly not as simple as one would expect
(i.e. lack of food).
Fundamentally
malnutrition is defined as not enough or too much of a single food group. This
in turn leads to complications in utilising consumed sustenance and therefore
hampering the body’s ability to fight off and recover from infection. The
problem faced by Indian society is primarily related to a lack of protein in
the diet of young children which is then exacerbated by the sanitary and
religious conditions that they find themselves living in.
While there
other forms of serious child malnutrition (such as iodine, vitamin A, or iron,
deficiencies) lack of protein is by far the most lethal and, according to the
World Health Organisation (WHO), plays a major role 50% of all deaths under 5
years of age. The situation in India is particularly severe where 30% of the
entire world’s under-nourished population can be found. In a country of the
size, both geographically and economically, of India it is clearly not just a
lack of food that is accountable.
One unique
factor behind India’s child malnourishment is the influence that is held by
India’s various religious sects and the dietary recommendations that are
advocated. Contrary to popular belief India is by no means a vegetarian
society, however the rise of fundamentally religious political parties who
espouse the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle has restricted what food may be
served at school’s midday meals (MDM). Most controversial is restriction on the
serving of eggs which can provide a significant protein boost (one egg contains
half of the recommended daily intake) and are easily digestible to those
suffering with malnutrition.
Originally
brought into practice in the 1990s India’s MDM programme has become a vital
source of nourishment for the poorest children in society. However, respecting
regional religions place strict vegetarian restrictions on the lunchtime menus.
A current example is the region of Karnataka where 9 out of 10 children are
suffering with malnutrition but as it is administered by the Hindu fundamentalist
Bharatiya Janata Party are forbidden from the MDM on religious grounds. Perhaps
the fact that milk is served in schools nationwide leads to a logical
conclusion drawn by the nation’s Bapu (Mahatma Gandhi) who advised “he who can
take milk should have no objection to taking sterile egg”.
Crudely
nicknamed “the open defecation capital of the world” the state of India’s
public sanitation is the other unique contributing factor to this problem.Particularly
affected are rural areas where, according to the WHO, it was estimated that
last year 61% of Indians defecated in the open. A staggering statistic, far
higher than any other (reportable) country, that results in the deaths of 1000
children each day to diarrhoea related diseases and has a wide reaching impact
on their ability to retain nutrition and maintain a healthy, growing body.
To combat this
precise issue Prime Minister Nehendra Modi embarked on the Swachh Bharat (Clean
India) Mission in October 2014 to be concluded by October 2019 to mark Gandhi’s
150th birthday. Construction has been undertaken at a furious pace
and there are signs that the tide is turning; between Oct ’14 and Jan ‘16 the
number of rural families with access to a working toilet went from 42% to 49%,
however, physical construction is only half the battle. The other side to
tackle is convincing the (mostly) rural population of the need to cease open
defecation. In a country proudly steeped in tradition this is
no small challenge but one that must be overcome if India is to take its
rightful place at table with the world’s other super-powers.
-William Lewis
-Picture Credit Heeals
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