INDIA WHICH HAS AN ESTIMATED 60 MILLION UNDERWEIGHT CHILDREN IS IN THE GRIP OF A MALNUTRITION CRISIS THAT POSES A TOUGH CHALLENGE TO THE COUNTRY'S HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH, WORLD BANK OFFICIALS SAID FRIDAY, ACCORDING TO DPA. OF THE 150 MILLION MALNOURISHED CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF FIVE YEARS WORLDWIDE, MORE THAN A THIRD ARE IN INDIA, SAID A WORLD BANK SPOKESMAN QUOTING FROM THE REPORT TITLED "INDIA'S UNDERNOURISHED CHILDREN: A CALL FOR REFORM AND ACTION" THAT WAS RELEASED IN DELHI THURSDAY. THE PREVALENCE OF UNDERWEIGHT CHILDREN IN INDIA IS AMONGST THE HIGHEST IN THE WORLD AND NEARLY DOUBLE THAT OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA. "GIVEN ITS IMPACT ON HEALTH, EDUCATION AND PRODUCTIVITY, PERSISTENT UNDERNUTRITION IS A MAJOR OBSTACLE TO HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE COUNTRY, ESPECIALLY AMONG THE POOR AND THE VULNERABLE, WHERE THE PREVALENCE OF MALNUTRITION IS THE HIGHEST," THE REPORT STATED. THE AUTHORS OF THE REPORT SAID INDIA'S IMPRESSIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH ALONE WOULD NOT REDUCE MALNUTRITION SUFFICIENTLY TO MEET THE MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL OF HALVING THE PREVALENCE OF UNDERWEIGHT CHILDREN BETWEEN 1990 AND 2015. INDIA IS THE WORLD'S SECOND FASTEST GROWING ECONOMY AFTER CHINA. THE STUDY FOUND THAT LEVELS OF MALNUTRITION IN INDIA HAD DECLINED "MODESTLY" WITH THE PREVALENCE OF UNDERWEIGHT AMONG CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF THREE YEARS FALLING BY 11 PER CENT BETWEEN 1992-93 AND 1998-99.
