Bengal aiming to reduce under nutrition by 2020: Mamata

Kolkata, Sep 1 : Observing the National Nutrition Week, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said that the state government has adopted a multi-sectoral strategy to reduce under nutrition and anaemia among women and children in a targeted manner by 2020.

"National Nutrition Week begins today.

In Bangla, State Nutrition Mission as a multi-sectoral strategy to reduce under nutrition and anaemia amongst women and children in a targeted manner by 2020, has started functioning from July 2017," she wrote on Twitter.

According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2015-16, 38.4 per cent of children under five years of age are stunted due to acute under nutrition in India while the figure for West Bengal is 32.5 per cent.

Also, 58.4 per cent and 54.2 per cent children are anaemic in India and West Bengal, respectively.

The National Nutrition Week was started by the central government in 1982 to curb malnutrition and is observed every year from September 1-7.

--IANS

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Source: IANS