India, April 21 -- Every few years, India conducts one of the most comprehensive health surveys in the world. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) covers every district in every state/Union Territory. Demographic and health related data along with biomarkers are collected from thousands of households. The data analysed drives policy and action.

When NFHS-5 (2019-21) results were released, the anaemia numbers showed that a staggering ~57 % of women (15-49-year-old), 52.2% pregnant women, 59% adolescent girls and ~ 67% of children under the age of five years, were anaemic. Despite years of programmes, budget allocations, and beneficiary tracking, prevalence of anaemia in India has not decreased.

Anaemia is not a mysterious or poorly u...