Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has written to PM Narendra Modi asking for funds. (File)
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention for allocation of Rs 312 crore to the state, as recommended by the 15th Finance Commission to address the child malnutrition problem.
Citing the report of National Family Health Survey-4, the chief minister said every second child below six years of age is malnourished in the state, and 45 per cent are underweight.
"I would like to draw your attention to the recommendation made by the 15th Finance Commission for the year 2020-21...the serious problem of malnutrition has been discussed. In view of this, in the supplementary nutrition programme, it has been recommended to give Rs 7,735 crore in addition to the normal allocation for different states of the country."
"The commission has recommended an additional allocation of Rs 312 crore to the state of Jharkhand for this work," Mr Soren said in the letter.
He also said the state government has decided to address the child malnutrition issues with its limited resources and is considering to provide egg to children in the age group of 3-6 years and equivalent protein-rich food to others in addition to the supplementary nutrition programme.
"At least 11.3 per cent of children are severely malnourished, 40.3 per cent are stunted...the state government has decided to fight the problem of malnutrition," the chief minister said.
Mr Soren also mentioned that Jharkhand has a sizeable population of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe people who suffer from malnutrition.
"As far as the state government is aware, no decision has yet been taken by the Government of India regarding the release of Rs 312 crore as recommended by the 15th Finance Commission for the year 2020-21. By getting this amount, the state government will get a lot of support in the fight against malnutrition," the letter read.
He urged the prime minister to direct the Women and Child Development Department to release the funds recommended by the commission for the 2020-21 fiscal.
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