The district of West Singhbhum in Jharkhand faces a significant health crisis, with nearly 60% of children under five years of age exhibiting signs of stunting. This alarming statistic places West Singhbhum as the second highest district in India for this issue, according to a recent report. The report, presented by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development, indicated that 63 districts nationwide have a stunting rate of over 50%. The district of Nandurbar in Maharashtra tops the list, followed by West Singhbhum, and then Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh.
The data was disclosed in Parliament on July 25, in response to inquiries from members of parliament. The Minister of State, Savitri Thakur, revealed that over 73 million children are registered on the Anganwadi and Poshan Tracker platforms across the country. This data highlighted that malnutrition, inadequate healthcare, and socio-economic inequalities contribute to the high stunting rates. Experts suggest that addressing these issues requires robust measures to improve child health outcomes. The problem is particularly prevalent in Uttar Pradesh, where numerous districts are struggling with high rates of stunting among children.