Malnutrition not directly causing death among children under 5

The government on Friday said malnutrition was not the direct cause of death among children under the age of five years.

In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani said malnutrition can increase morbidity and mortality by reducing resistance to infection.

"Malnutrition is not the direct cause of death among children under five years of age," she said and emphasised that the government is making serious efforts to eradicate malnutrition.

Further, the minister said malnutrition is a complex and multi-dimensional issue, affected by a number of generic factors, including poverty and inequitable food distribution.

The government is implementing POSHAN Abhiyaan, which seeks to achieve improvement in nutritional status of children from 0-6 years, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers in a time-bound manner with fixed targets.