| Abstract: | India is home to over 382.9 million children, the largest number of any country in the world. This number only shows that the country has made commendable progress in various child survival and development indicators such as infant mortality rate, education, and immunization during the last 50 years. However, according to the 1981 census, 53% of young children (0-6 years) suffered from malnutrition and about 13 million infants were being added to the child population annually. This rate of increase poses a significant problem for national development that requires immediate action. It should be understood that early childhood (0-6 years) is a very critical period for a child's physical and socio-psychological development. In view of this, the government, state and the voluntary sector implemented a large number of programs for children and nursing and expectant mothers to enable children to develop their full potential; however, these efforts were far from satisfactory. Nutritional problems of children of urban slums have increased in magnitude and there is a high prevalence of protein malnutrition among preschoolers. In addition, dietary intake of vitamin A is low among pregnant women belonging to poor communities and low-income groups. With all these problems, a tremendous task awaits the government. |
