The Madhya Pradesh government is under fire from the Opposition over its low daily nutrition allowance for malnourished children. Data presented in the state assembly revealed that the government allocates just Rs 8 per day for moderately malnourished children and Rs 12 for those severely malnourished.
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The figures were shared in response to a question by Congress MLA Vikrant Bhuria, with the Women and Child Development Department confirming the daily spending. The Congress party strongly criticised the allocation, calling it grossly insufficient and questioning how such meagre funding could possibly address the state’s malnutrition crisis.
According to official data, 1.36 lakh children in Madhya Pradesh are currently malnourished, 1.06 lakh moderately and 29,830 severely. The state’s malnutrition rate stands at 7.79 percent, significantly higher than the national average of 5.40 percent.
“The government is spending Rs 8 to Rs 12 per day on malnourished children, but Rs 40 has been allocated for cow feed per day. Milk costs Rs 70 per litre, and officials spend thousands on snacks and dry fruits in a single meeting, but only Rs 12 is available to feed children whose skin is stuck to their bones,” Bhuria said in the assembly.
Tribal-dominated districts such as Sheopur, Dhar, Khargone, Barwani, Chhindwara, and Balaghat are reportedly the worst affected. In some of these districts, one in every four children is severely malnourished, painting a grim picture.
Heart-wrenching cases from the ground reflect the crisis. In Sheopur, one-year-old Kartik was brought to a Nutrition Rehabilitation Center (NRC) by his grandmother. His emaciated body, with bones protruding through the skin, underscores the dire situation. Similarly, six-month-old twins Gaurav and Saurav from Bhikhapur village have been admitted to an NRC due to severe malnutrition.