'45000 child malnutrition deaths every yr in Maharashtra'

Pune:- Of the estimated 45,000 children dying each year due to malnutrition in Maharashtra, only around 12,000 are severe malnutrition cases. The

remaining 33,000 children succumb due to mild or moderate malnutrition. Also, malnutrition is the underlying cause in about 480 of the 2,850 maternal deaths each year in the state.

Despite this high prevalence of malnutrition, the state government spends just 0.08% of its gross domestic product on the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and the mid-day meal programme.

These and other startling statistics about the declining nutritional status of Maharashtra were revealed in a 177-page report titled, 'A Report on Nutritional Crisis in Maharashtra', prepared by Pune-based NGO - Support for Advocacy and Training to Health Initiatives (SATHI). The findings of the report were presented during a press conference at the Karve Institute of Social Science here on Wednesday.