Patna, May 13: Over 58 percent children in Bihar are malnourished, said a voluntary organisation after visiting rural pockets of the state.
The Citizens' Alliance against Malnutrition (CAM), which comprises parliamentarians cutting across party lines, described the situation in Bihar as alarming.
"It is an alarming situation as far as malnutrition among children is concerned. The government should start measures on a war footing to get rid of it," said an MP.
The team includes MPs Shahnawaz Hussain of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Jay Panda of the Biju Janata Dal, Mohammed Salim of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, Sangeeta Singh Deo of the BJP, Alok Kumar Mehta of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Neeraj Chandrashekhar of the Samajwadi Party.
According to their assessment, 8.33 percent of 58.4 percent children are in a dangerous state. "They are virtually on the verge of death if immediate measures not taken to save them."
The team visited the Saraiya block in Muzaffarpur district and Bidupur in Vaishali district to get first-hand information about malnutrition in rural Bihar.
"The central government should bring the issue of malnutrition on the national agenda and hold a special debate in the national development council," Mehta said Tuesday.
Narrating their experience, they said the maximum number of malnourished children were below two years of age.
They suggested the state government to include the children of this age group in a programme that presently covers kids from 3-5 years of age.
(IANS)
