According to a UNICEF report, 69% of deaths in children below 5 years is a result of malnutrition in India. Apart from that, every second woman in the country is anaemic, which ultimately results in them giving birth to unhealthy babies. Anaemia is also found to be prevalent in kids, with the number of adolescent girls facing it being twice that of adolescent boys.

The population is seen to suffer from chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes, kidney-related diseases, etc. from a very early age. With malnourishment, the ability of the body to fight infections and other diseases also reduces, resulting in underweight adults and children suffering more from infections like pneumonia and tuberculosis. Hunger has been a great problem our country has faced for years and we are no closer to solving this issue.

Now, what causes malnourishment? Firstly, the economic imbalance of India has given rise to the hunger issue and continues to feed it. While most of the economically backward families remain under-nourished, most of the well-to-do families face the problem of individuals being overweight. Poverty & population-growth, by-far, remain the major causes of malnourishment. Additionally, most of the population does not consume foods with balanced nutrient contents causing deficiency of several nutrients in their bodies. Inadequate sanitary arrangements further worsen the situation, making people more prone to infections, short-term as well as chronic. What’s more? About one-third of the food produced gets lost or wasted. There are various other reasons that are aggravating malnourishment in India and need immediate attention.

What can we do? Food donations. A simpler way to combat hunger is to initiate more food collection drives. Although a small step, it can have a big impact in someone’s life. Access to education can not just help increase the economic conditions of more than 50% of the population, but also make people aware of the importance of nutrient-rich meals. Birth control education remains a crucial solution to control the population growth of the country. It is also necessary to make access to contraceptives easy and shame-free. Sustainable and urban-farming can solve the shortage in supply of the food to some extent. Government initiatives are another important solution, and we as citizens can raise petitions to help them focus immediately on malnourishment and other necessary issues the country faces.

There are numerous ways to overcome any big or small problem. However, awareness and action is usually missing. Let’s rise against hunger in India and not just help eradicate malnourishment, but also save many lives!

#Food #Hunger #Malnourishment #NoFoodWaste #ZeroWaste