Jaipur, June 3 -- One in every three children in Rajasthan is malnourished, with the proportion of underweight children below five years of age rising by 5.7 percentage points in 2023-24, compared to the previous health survey, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6). The latest survey has once again put the spotlight on malnutrition, which remains a major public health challenge in Rajasthan despite successive governments attempting to address it through various interventions. According to NFHS-6, the proportion of children under five who are underweight (weight-for-age) increased to 33.3% from 27.6% in NFHS-5 (2019-21). The data indicates persistent nutritional deficits among children despite various government schemes such as Poshan Abhiyan, Pradhan Mantri Matritva Vandan Yojana and Mukhyamantri Matritva Poshan Yojana. The situation is more worrying in rural areas, where more than one in three children is underweight. NFHS-6 shows that 35.8% of children in rural areas are underweight, compared with 22.5% in urban areas. The proportion of children under five who are stunted (height-for-age) declined marginally to 29.6% from 31.8% in NFHS-5. The figure stands at 21.8% in urban areas and 31.4% in rural areas. However, the percentage of children under five who are wasted (weight-for-height) increased to 19.8% from 16.8% in NFHS-5. In urban areas, 14.8% of children are wasted, while the figure is 20.9% in rural areas. Traditionally, tribal-dominated districts such as Udaipur, Dungarpur, Banswara and Baran have recorded high levels of child malnutrition. NITI Aayog has also identified Jaipur, Bikaner, Ajmer, Nagaur and Alwar as high-burden districts. Vasudev Malavat, director, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), said the government is taking stock of the findings and identifying gaps. "We are studying the data and we are taking remedial action. We are evaluating if there are gaps in the Poshan Tracker," he said. The Poshan Tracker is used to monitor the nutritional status of children in real time, with a focus on reducing stunting, undernutrition and anaemia. Dr Narendra Gupta, a public health expert, stressed the importance of the first 1,000 days in the life of an infant. "The time period up to three years is a critical development window and sets the foundation for life-long health intelligence and well-being of a child." Dr Gupta said that from six months onwards, children must be provided nutritious semi-solid foods. "It is very important to provide semi-solids like soft fruits, dals with water for the development of the child. But this is lacking in India and so the physical and cognitive abilities of children will not develop fully. This is the time when malnutrition and stunting set in and later efforts will not mitigate it." Chhaya Pachauli, coordinator of Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, an NGO working in the health sector, said, "It is the failure of the government that it is unable to address this challenge despite so many ongoing state and central government schemes." She added, "On paper the government can show multiple schemes but the ground reality is different. The data should prompt the government to evaluate if the schemes are reaching the people. It raises questions about the functioning of anganwadis and how the food is distributed." Pachauli also questioned the quality of ration being given under Poshan Abhiyan. "The government has to evaluate whether the ration given to women and children is effective in tackling malnutrition." She suggested involving local communities in deciding the menu. Manju Baghmar, minister of state for women and child development, said the state government is examining the data. "We are planning to change the items given in the ration to make it more nutritious," she said. Currently, children aged three to six years receive take-home ration through anganwadis, comprising fortified wheat or rice, dals, jaggery and peanuts....