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Malnutrition a national shame said PM

NEW DELHI (PTI): On Tuesday terming the problem of malnutrition in the country as a national shame, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the government cannot rely solely on the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) to tackle it.

Dr. Singh said releasing a report on ‘Hunger and Malnutrition’ in New Delhi, “…the problem of malnutrition is a matter of national shame. Despite impressive growth in our GDP, the level of under-nutrition in the country is unacceptably high,”

Pointing out that India had not succeeded in reducing the levels of malnutrition fast enough, he said, “Though the ICDS continues to be our most important tool to fight malnutrition, we can no longer rely solely on it.”

“We need to focus on districts where malnutrition levels are high and where conditions causing malnutrition prevail,” Dr. Singh said.

He said that policy makers and programme implementers need to clearly understand many linkages between education and health, sanitation and hygiene, drinking water and nutrition and then shape their responses accordingly.

The Prime Minister said his government was working to launch a strengthened and restructured ICDS; to start a multi-sectoral programme for 200 high burden districts and to initiate a nationwide communication campaign against malnutrition.

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