Ker far ahead in providing nutrition to kids under 2: Survey

The first Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey has found that Kerala is far ahead of other States in providing nutrition to children under 2 years.

"The survey showed that only 6.4 per cent of children in this age group had adequate nutrition in the country, but in Kerala it was 32.6 per cent.

It also showed that the children in all States except Kerala were suffering from Anemia," Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a Facebook post on Thursday.

The CNNS released by the Centre on Monday was the first such survey covering pre-schoolers, school-age children, and adolescents in rural and urban areas across 30 states of India.

The CNNS provides national and state level representative data for nutritional status and micronutrient deficiencies among children and adolescents from birth to 19 years and estimates of biomarkers for non-communicable diseases among those aged 5-19.

Vijayan said the achievement was an appreciation of the state government's involvement in child welfare and protection.

Recently, a report released by NITI Aayog also showed that Kerala has emerged on top among 20 large states in terms of quality of school education.

The report showed that Kerala was followed by Rajasthan and Karnataka, while the most-populous Uttar Pradesh was ranked at the bottom.

Among 20 large States, Kerala was the best performer with a score of 76.6 per cent while Uttar Pradesh came in last with a score of 36.4 per cent.