Status

Status of Nutrition We noted earlier that food security includes nutrition security too. Though our country has reached self- sufficiency in food production, the nutrition status of the population has not seen corresponding levels of improvement. In – , % of the rural women and % of the urban women (in the age group of – years) were counted as Underweight Child undernourished or chronically energy deficient by the National Family Health Survey. More than half of the women in the reproductive age group ( – years) in both rural and urban India were anaemic in – .

As regards children, about % of the rural and % of the urban children (in the age group of – months) are counted to be anaemic, in – . About % of the rural and % of urban children are stunted, that is, they are not of the required height in correspondence to their age. Another indicator of nutrition deficiency among children is “underweight”, which is weight in relation to their age. In India, in – , about % of children(in the age group of – months) in rural and urban India are estimated to be underweight.

Nutrition and Health Status in Tamil Nadu Nutrition plays a crucial role in human health and well-being. At the national level, despite higher economic growth, improvements in human development indicators like nutrition levels of the population have been unacceptably slow. A large number of Indian children are stunted. A substantial number of Indian children and women are underweight, anaemic and suffer from micronutrient deficiencies.

To address these concerns, the Central and state governments have been channellising substantial resources into various health and nutrition schemes and programmes like