37% of Children Under Five Stunted, Government Report Reveals

Quick Summary

• Official data from the Poshan Tracker reveals:

– 37.07% of children under five are stunted.- 15.93% are underweight.
– 5.46% are wasted, where wasting refers to being to thin for one’s height.

• Uttar Pradesh reported the highest rate of stunting at 48.83%, followed by Jharkhand (43.26%), Bihar (42.68%), and Madhya Pradesh (42.09%).
• As of June 2025, 8.61 crore children up to six years old were registered for nutrition services, marking a decline from 8.91 crore in the previous year.
• Approximately two lakh Anganwadi centres are being upgraded into ‘Saksham Anganwadis’ with modern infrastructure and digital tools.
• So far, 88,716 mini Anganwadis across 20 States and Union territories have received approval for upgradation.

Indian Opinion Analysis

India’s battle against child malnutrition continues to show concerning challenges despite ongoing efforts through programs like Poshan Tracker and Saksham Anganwadis upgradation initiatives. The high rates of stunting in states such as Uttar Pradesh (48.83%) suggest deeply rooted socio-economic disparities that require targeted interventions addressing poverty, healthcare access, education on nutritional practices, and maternal health.

The slight drop in registration numbers for nutrition services highlights potential gaps in coverage or accessibility that must be analyzed further to prevent attrition in vital early childhood care programs.

While upgrading infrastructure at Anganwadi centres is a step forward towards improving service delivery mechanisms through modern tools,its effectiveness will depend critically on implementation quality alongside community engagement strategies to address malnutrition holistically.

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