The State of Young Child in India Report

The Vice President, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu called for a well-strategized collective action on multiple fronts to ensure well-being of young children for India to take full advantage of demographic dividend.

While releasing ‘The State of Young Child in India’ report, Vice President said Child development should be the foundation of our development architecture and a comprehensive account of the challenges are related to early child development in India. He also said, Of the 159 million children aged below 6 years in India, 21 per cent are undernourished, 36 per cent are underweight and 38 per cent do not receive full immunization. He appreciated the report and said that such reports help in policy formulation by developing greater understanding of the shortcomings and urgent needs of the children. Underlining the importance of ensuring healthy, happy, caring and playful early years for children for their holistic development, he observed that adequate nutrition and positive caring environment at home play an important role in a child’s development.

Key findings of the Report

• The report has been prepared by Mobile Creches, which is a policy advocacy organisation working with the underprivileged children across India.
• Based on a comparative analysis of public data for 2005-06 and 2015 -16 , Kerala emerged on top while Bihar fared the worst in outcomes linked to health, nutrition cognitive growth of children in the 0-6 years age group.

Month: Current Affairs - September, 2020