The NFHS‑6 report reveals mixed progress in child nutrition. While stunting has fallen, early breastfeeding and complementary feeding remain weak, signalling the need for stronger implementation of nutrition programmes.
Key Developments
- Stunting among children <5 years dropped from 35.5% to 29.3%.
- Institutional deliveries reached 90%; public facilities contributed 58% and 91% of births had skilled attendance.
- Vaccination coverage for 12‑23‑month‑old children rose to 87%, with private facilities providing only about 3% of doses.
- Only 50% of newborns are breastfed within the first hour; 60% receive solid food at 6‑8 months, but merely 15% get an adequate diet by 6‑23 months.
- Women’s paid work is reported at 30%, yet unpaid labour remains largely invisible, affecting feeding practices.
Important Facts
Despite high institutional birth rates, early initiation of breastfeeding is low, reflecting gaps in post‑natal counselling. Complementary feeding is culturally linked to the annaprasana ritual; delays lead to growth faltering.
Maternal time poverty is an under‑explored driver of undernutrition. In many rural areas, lack of crèches forces infants to stay with older siblings, compromising breastfeeding and complementary feeding.
Household food expenditure is shifting from cereals to dairy, processed foods and beverages, creating a false sense of dietary diversity. A diet that follows the ICMR‑NIN food‑based guidelines—rich in pulses, millets, fruits, vegetables, animal foods and nuts—is still unaffordable for many, pushing families toward cheap, processed options.
Exam Relevance
Understanding the stunting and wasting trends helps answer questions on health indicators and programme effectiveness. The role of frontline workers such as ASHA, AWW and ANM is central to UPSC questions on health governance.
The POSHAN Abhiyaan currently focuses on severely malnourished children; the report urges a shift toward prevention of growth faltering during the critical first 1,000 days.
Multisectoral convergence, involving Gram Sabha and Panchayat, is highlighted as weak, pointing to governance challenges.
Way Forward
- Strengthen early‑breastfeeding counselling through ASHA and ANM visits.
- Promote timely complementary feeding by integrating annaprasana messages in behaviour‑change communication.
- Recruit district‑level nutritionists and data analysts to improve data quality and local feedback loops.
- Scale up affordable crèche models to reduce maternal time poverty and support women’s economic participation.
- Ensure Anganwadi centres have safe water, sanitation and adequate infrastructure to enable proper feeding practices.
- Align POSHAN Abhiyaan priorities toward prevention of stunting and wasting during the first 1,000 days.