Sonalde Desai: Malnutrition still a major problem for India's children
Despite the implementation of new food security programs, India is unlikely to achieve its goal of reducing childhood malnutrition to 28% by 2015, according to MPRC faculty associate Sonalde Desai. In 2005, 42% of children under the age of five were underweight, and this number has not improved significantly since. India's 2013 National Food Security Act expanded access to cheap cereals in an effort to combat hunger. But while this program may have increased children's caloric intake, it has not improved their overall nutrition because it does not provide enough other foods such as beans, milk, vegetables, or fruits.
Desai calls for smarter policy design, more effective implementation, and increased monitoring and accountability in order to improve childhood nutrition in India.