New Delhi, Sept. 5 -- Senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday raised concerns over the sharp decline in Exclusive Breastfeeding (EBF) for infants under six months across India as women in rural areas return to work sites within weeks after delivery to earn their livelihood.

In a post on X addressed to Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annpurna Devi, Tharoor cited data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6). Tharoor noted that while institutional deliveries in India have reached 90.6%, exclusive breastfeeding for infants under six months dropped from 63.7% to 55.8%.

"A curious data point, and what it might mean: According to the latest NFHS-6 data, while institutional deliver...