Newborns of India at risk: Is Govt of India's Anemia Mukt Bharat campaign being implemented on the ground?

By Harasankar Adhikari

Anemia is a serious global public health issue, particularly among children under the age of five. India is no exception. It poses a significant challenge for this age group, with the prevalence being the highest globally (67.20%). Among the total anemic children, 2.2%, 36.30%, and 28.70% are classified as severely, moderately, and mildly anemic, respectively.

According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5, conducted by the International Institute of Population Studies from 2019 to 2021 across all 28 states and 8 union territories in India, anemia is a pervasive issue. The survey revealed that Ladakh in the northern region has the highest rates (91%–100%), while Chhattisgarh in the central region reports the highest incidence (87%) among the 9–11 months age group. In the eastern region, Bihar has the highest prevalence (71.7%), whereas Odisha has the lowest (66%). In the southern region, Telangana reports the highest prevalence (71%) and Kerala the lowest (38.4%). In the western region, anemia prevalence ranges from 64% to 86%, with the highest rates among the 12–23 months age group, notably in Gujarat (87.5%) and Maharashtra (85.8%). This is concerning given the higher socioeconomic status of these states.

The report identifies socioeconomic factors, child health, and maternal health status as key determinants of anemia in children. About 67.9% of children in rural areas are anemic, compared to 64.1% in urban areas. Maternal education also plays a protective role: 72.2% of children whose mothers have no education are anemic, compared to 61.7% of children whose mothers have higher education levels. The religion of a child’s family is another significant factor, with anemia affecting 48.7% of Christian children, 68.7% of Muslim children, and 69% of Hindu children.

Maternal health status significantly influences anemia prevalence among children. Children of mothers with a normal body mass index (BMI) are at a lower risk compared to those of underweight or overweight mothers. Anemic mothers have a much higher likelihood of having anemic children (72.6%) compared to non-anemic mothers (59.3%). The survey also highlights that anemia affects 75.80% of infants aged 6–8 months and increases to 78.80% among those aged 12–23 months. Alarmingly, the NFHS-5 shows an 8.5% increase in infant anemia compared to NFHS-4.

Addressing child anemia requires improving household socioeconomic status, reducing maternal poverty, and increasing maternal education. A lack of awareness regarding neonatal nutrition and limited maternal education are critical contributors to anemia prevalence.

The Government of India has initiated the Anemia Mukt Bharat (Anemia-Free India) campaign. It is essential to evaluate how effectively these programs are being implemented on the ground.

Comments

Sainath Deshmukh said…

This article really opened my eyes to the challenges newborns in India face. It’s alarming to see how many are at risk, but it’s important to be aware of these issues.

December 16, 2024

Kavita Podar said…

Absolutely, a crucial issue! Affordable options like cheap health insurance are vital to support families in safeguarding their newborns’ health amidst such challenges.

July 08, 2025

Plastic burning in homes threatens food, water and air across Global South: Study

By Jag Jivan In a groundbreaking study spanning 26 countries across the Global South , researchers have uncovered the widespread and concerning practice of households burning plastic waste as a fuel for cooking, heating, and other domestic needs. The research, published in Nature Communications , reveals that this hazardous method of managing both waste and energy poverty is driven by systemic failures in municipal services and the unaffordability of clean alternatives, posing severe risks to human health and the environment.

Economic superpower’s social failure? Inequality, malnutrition and crisis of India's democracy

By Vikas Meshram India may be celebrated as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, but a closer look at who benefits from that growth tells a starkly different story. The recently released World Inequality Report 2026 lays bare a country sharply divided by wealth, privilege and power. According to the report, nearly 65 percent of India’s total wealth is owned by the richest 10 percent of its population, while the bottom half of the country controls barely 6.4 percent. The top one percent—around 14 million people—holds more than 40 percent, the highest concentration since 1961. Meanwhile, the female labour force participation rate is a dismal 15.7 percent.

The greatest threat to our food system: The aggressive push for GM crops

By Bharat Dogra Thanks to the courageous resistance of several leading scientists who continue to speak the truth despite increasing pressures from the powerful GM crop and GM food lobby , the many-sided and in some contexts irreversible environmental and health impacts of GM foods and crops, as well as the highly disruptive effects of this technology on farmers, are widely known today.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

UP tribal woman human rights defender Sokalo released on bail

By A Representative After almost five months in jail, Adivasi human rights defender and forest worker Sokalo Gond has been finally released on bail.Despite being granted bail on October 4, technical and procedural issues kept Sokalo behind bars until November 1. The Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) and the All India Union of Forest Working People (AIUFWP), which are backing Sokalo, called it a "major victory." Sokalo's release follows the earlier releases of Kismatiya and Sukhdev Gond in September. "All three forest workers and human rights defenders were illegally incarcerated under false charges, in what is the State's way of punishing those who are active in their fight for the proper implementation of the Forest Rights Act (2006)", said a CJP statement.

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

Jayanthi Natarajan "never stood by tribals' rights" in MNC Vedanta's move to mine Niyamigiri Hills in Odisha

By A Representative The Odisha Chapter of the Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD), which played a vital role in the struggle for the enactment of historic Forest Rights Act, 2006 has blamed former Union environment minister Jaynaynthi Natarjan for failing to play any vital role to defend the tribals' rights in the forest areas during her tenure under the former UPA government. Countering her recent statement that she rejected environmental clearance to Vendanta, the top UK-based NMC, despite tremendous pressure from her colleagues in Cabinet and huge criticism from industry, and the claim that her decision was “upheld by the Supreme Court”, the CSD said this is simply not true, and actually she "disrespected" FRA.

Stands 'exposed': Cavalier attitude towards rushed construction of Char Dham project

By Bharat Dogra* The nation heaved a big sigh of relief when the 41 workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel (Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand) were finally rescued on November 28 after a 17-day rescue effort. All those involved in the rescue effort deserve a big thanks of the entire country. The government deserves appreciation for providing all-round support.

'Restructuring' Sahitya Akademi: Is the ‘Gujarat model’ reaching Delhi?

By Prakash N. Shah* A fortnight and a few days have slipped past that grim event. It was as if the wedding preparations were complete and the groom’s face was about to be unveiled behind the ceremonial tinsel. At 3 PM on December 18, a press conference was poised to announce the Sahitya Akademi Awards .

Search This Blog