GULBARGA: Gulbarga district is not an exception to the national average of having around 40 per cent of malnourished children, according to a survey conducted by the Women and Children Welfare Department in December 2011.
It was revealed that 39.78 per cent of the children below 5 were undernourished. According to official sources, of the total 2,02,520, children in the age group of 6 months to 5 years in Gulbarga district were weighed by anganwadi workers in December.
It was found that 80,573 children were moderately malnourished and 2,980 children were severely malnourished. As per the survey, 1,18,967 children were found to be healthy.
The highest number of severely malnourished children were noticed in Gulbarga [Rural] with 706 children, followed by Gulbarga [Urban]-464, Jewargi-407, Afzalpur-354, Sedam-315, Aland-310, Chittapur-238 and Chincholi-186.
The highest number of moderately malnourished children were found in Chittapur taluka with 22,201 children, followed by Chincholi-10,646, Jewargi-10,457, Aland-9,275, Gulbarga [U]-9,107, Sedam-7,805, Afzalpur-5,945 and Gulbarga[R]-5,137.
In Chittapur, the strength of the malnourished children is high compared to the normal children (malnourished children was 22,439, while normal children numbered 13,358).
Deputy Director of Women and Children Welfare Department Ratna Kalamdani has said the report has been sent to the government and Health Department, and care will be taken to increase the weight of the children.