AHMEDABAD: The Government of Gujarat has informed the Gujarat Legislative Assembly that 51,306 children across eight districts in the state are currently suffering from malnutrition.
The data was presented on Friday in a written reply by the State Minister for Women and Child Welfare following questions raised by MLAs from the Indian National Congress. According to the government, 42,477 children are underweight, while 8,829 fall into the extremely underweight category.
District-wise figures shared in the Assembly show that Vadodara has the highest number of malnourished children at 12,766, including 10,480 underweight and 2,286 severely underweight. Officials said 1,527 children in the district recovered from malnutrition during the last year.
Bhavnagar recorded 11,648 malnourished children, including 9,705 underweight and 1,943 extremely underweight cases. The government informed the House that 5,591 children in the district were brought out of malnutrition over the past year.
In Surendranagar, 7,913 children were reported to be malnourished, including 6,509 underweight and 1,404 severely underweight. The district recorded 5,091 recoveries in the same period.
The data also showed that Mehsana has 5,635 malnourished children, 4,613 underweight and 1,022 extremely underweight, while 9,828 children were reported to have become malnutrition-free in the past year.
While some districts show improvement, Amreli stands out for a worrying reason. The Assembly was informed that 5,237 children in the district are currently malnourished, including 4,320 underweight and 917 severely underweight. Although 1,204 children recovered from malnutrition in the past year, the district simultaneously recorded an increase of 222 new malnutrition cases, a trend that signals persistent gaps in nutritional outreach and early intervention.
In Morbi, 4,858 children were reported to be suffering from malnutrition, 4,129 underweight and 729 extremely underweight. The district recorded 711 recoveries but also added 50 new cases.
Botad has 2,583 malnourished children, including 2,176 underweight and 407 severely underweight. Officials said 3,674 children in the district recovered from malnutrition during the year.
Meanwhile, Porbandar reported 666 malnourished children, 545 underweight and 121 extremely underweight, while 654 children were declared free from malnutrition in the past year.
The figures indicate that while thousands of children have recovered from malnutrition through government interventions, a significant number remain affected across several districts. The data also shows fresh cases emerging in some districts even as recovery efforts continue.