BHOPAL: Tribal-dominated districts are emerging as a major hub for underweight and malnourished children in Madhya Pradesh, which according to the 2011 census has the highest tribal population of any state in India.According to information shared by the state’s Minister for Women and Child Development, Nirmala Bhuria, in the Vidhan Sabha recently, over 62.88 lakh children are enrolled in Anganwadi centres across the state, with more than 5.41 lakh (8.60%) classified as underweight.Importantly, all five districts with the highest number of underweight children in Anganwadi centres are tribal-dominated. These include Dhar, Khargone, and Barwani (located in western and southwestern Madhya Pradesh, home to the Bhil and Bhilala tribes), as well as Chhindwara and Balaghat (which have significant Gond tribe populations).Dhar tops the list, with 35,950 underweight children, or 16.31% of the 2.20 lakh children enrolled in Anganwadis. It is followed by Khargone, where 24,596 children, or 14.90% of the 1.71 lakh-plus enrolment, are underweight. The neighbouring district of Barwani ranks third, with 21,940 underweight children, or 12.73% of the total 1.72 lakh-plus enrolment.In her written reply to BJP MLA Mohan Singh Rathore’s query on the issue, the woman cabinet minister further mentioned that Chhindwara ranked fourth, with 17,013 underweight children, or 11.23% of the more than 1.51 lakh children in Anganwadi centres. Balaghat followed in fifth place, with 15,801 underweight children, or 11.35% of the total 1.39 lakh-plus enrolment.The other five districts with a significant number of underweight kids in Anganwadi centres, included Shivpuri, Morena (both in the Gwalior-Chambal region), Chhatarpur (Bundelkhand region) Katni (in Mahakoshal-Vindhya region) and Khandwa (southwestern MP).
Source link
