The GHI scores points at the foundational age group (up to 5 years) of the nation’s population and is not indicative of overall populous. Additionally, one of the statistics used for drawing the conclusions about India is the National Family Health Survey (NFHS).
A glance at the NFHS-5 released in 2021, reveals that Goa’s encounter with childhood nutrition is not applaudable.
The percentage of children who are stunted increased from 20% in NFHS-4 of 2016 to 26%, which indicates that they have been undernourished for some time. However, in the same period, the percentage of children who are wasted declined from 22% to 19%. Referring to children too thin for their height, which may result from inadequate recent food intake or a recent illness causing weight loss, and 8% are severely wasted.
While the percentage of children who are underweight remained almost unchanged in the 4 years between NFHS-4 and NFHS-5. Slightly less than one-quarter, 24% of children are underweight, which takes into account both chronic and acute under-nutrition.
The NFHS-5 report states that the differences in the levels of under-nutrition in Goa, is relatively high for rural children than urban children and among male children than female children on all three nutritional status measures.
Government should have read this as a clear health warning that the continuing high levels of under-nutrition are still a major problem in Goa.
Despite, the ‘double engine’ government’s own reports issuing health warnings, Goans have not witnessed any drastic measure from the government to ensure a healthier childhood. In addition, the mid-day meal scheme which in ways compensates for the losses is also faced with hurdles.
The recent threat by the self-help groups and the mahila mandals to discontinue the supply of mid-day meals when the schools reopen after the Diwali vacations is an alarm bell for citizens to question the government’s priorities.
Herald had reported that nearly 2,000 students in the interior villages of Canacona have not been given mid-day meals since October 1, after the menu was altered by the government.
A proposal to introduce an egg once a week in the menu is pending since 2020. While, the last two academic years almost had been washed-away due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the offline classes having begun across the State since June this year, the proposal to add an egg should have been implemented.
In September, the Director of Education had informed that new dishes like mixed vegetable idlis and mix vegetable pulao, chole chapatti, vegetarian kurma and potato bhaji will be introduced. A welcome step, which would have ensured that those children who are unable to afford nutritious meals at home are, compensated in schools.
Nevertheless, when the nation as a whole is experiencing inflation a proposal to increase the allocation per child from Rs 6.11 to Rs 8 per child in the pre-primary and primary category and Rs 10 for upper primary schools, is censured by the Finance Department.
A government’s arm functioning under the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who is also the Education Minister should have forthwith cleared the proposal and ensured immediate execution.
However, as it has come to the notice that one of the challenges in implementation of mid-day meal scheme in Goa is the lack of introspection and accountability. A social audit of the programme has not been done and District Level Steering-cum-Monitoring Committee headed by District Collector seldom meets to ensure accountability.
When a quarter of the child population in the State is underweight since nearly two decades (NFHS-3, 2006), the only way out for the government is to take corrective measures and ensure that at least the later part of the child’s growing years are compensated for the lack of nutrition, especially micro-nutrients.
