Only 9% Indian kids get proper nutrition, 1/3rd grow up stunted: NITI Aayog

The main reason is lack of awareness around nutrition issues: NITI Aayog

NITI Aayog Adviser Alok Kumar on Wednesday said only nine per cent of children in the age group 6 to 24 months receive adequate nutrition in India.

"One-third of the children in India are growing up stunted and tackling malnutrition is a key challenge for India. The main reason is lack of awareness around nutrition issues. This requires introducing behavioural changes in a campaign mode to reach every household," Kumar said while speaking at an event organised by the Unicef.

The private sector should take up experimental projects and come up with packages and solutions for nutritious food, he added.

Private companies like Tata Trusts, Sight and Life, CSRBOX, CII and WeCan joined hands with Unicef and Nasscom Foundation and launched a programme "Impact4Nutrition" which targets to eradicate malnutrition and stunting and positively impact the nutritional and health status of India.

"The private sector has not only the resources but also the convening power to improve nutrition awareness in the country. After all, the private sector employs the largest share of a country's workforce and through the programme, it can directly influence the nutritional status of its business ecosystem," Arjan De Waqt, OIC Deputy Representative at Unicef India, added.