Source: The post POSHAN Abhiyaan falters as child stunting persists in India has been created, based on the article “The complex web of factors behind India’s persistent stunting crisis” published in “The Hindu” on 20th August 2025. POSHAN Abhiyaan falters as child stunting persists in India.
UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 2- Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health.
Context: POSHAN Abhiyaan (2018) aimed to reduce child stunting by 2 percentage points annually, targeting “Mission 25 by 2022.” Yet, by June 2025, stunting is 37%, barely down from 38.4% (2016). The stagnation signals deeper systemic causes.
Targets and stalled outcomes
- Ambitious goals and timelines: The path set was from 38.4% (2016) to 26.4% (2022), with an even tighter 25% goal under Mission 25.
- Minimal change in prevalence: Instead, the rate stands at 37% (June 2025)—a ~1 percentage point fall since 2016. The 2022 milestone was missed.
- Signal of systemic deprivation: Experts call persistent stunting “the tip of the iceberg of deprivation,” pointing to structural deficits beyond program design.
Maternal health and early-life factors
- Stunting begins before or at birth: Nearly half of stunted children are already small at birth, linking outcomes to maternal health and care.
- Adolescent pregnancy and early childbearing: Teen pregnancies raise risks because bodies are not ready. Despite laws, child marriage persists; 7% of women 15–19had begun childbearing (2019–21).
- Caesarean deliveries and breastfeeding initiation: C-sections rose from 9% (2005–06) to 22%+ (2021). They can delay colostrum and early breastfeeding when mothers are unwell or infants are shifted to SNCU/NICU.
- Exclusive breastfeeding and class divides: Only 64% of infants under six months are exclusively breastfed. Leave entitlements benefit salaried mothers; informal workers return early, limiting feeding frequency.
Diet and nutrition deficits
- Carbohydrate-heavy household diets: Poor households rely on rice-heavy meals. Pulses or protein are infrequent, as seen in some Adivasi communities.
- Inadequate child diets in 6–23 months: Only ~11% of children under two meet the minimum acceptable diet for diversity and meal frequency.
- Limited protein and micronutrient access: Some States added eggs to Anganwadi meals, yet protein and micronutrient access remains limited.
- High anaemia among women and children: Anaemia is widespread: 57% of women 15–49 and 67% of under-fives (2019–21), undermining growth.
Sanitation, infection, and growth
- Unsafe water and open defecation: 19% of households practiced open defecation (2019–21), contaminating groundwater and increasing infections.
- Gut health and the malnutrition–infection cycle: Unsanitary conditions damage gut microbiota and absorption. Illness reduces intake and traps children in a malnutrition–infection cycle.
Education and intergenerational impacts
- Maternal education as a protective factor: Stunting affects 46% of children of mothers with no schooling versus 26% with 12+ years of education.
- Pathways from schooling to child health: Educated mothers access ANC, follow better nutrition, and delay early pregnancies, improving outcomes.
- Long-term socioeconomic consequences: Stunting correlates with poverty, lower education, weaker cognition, and reduced employability, perpetuating intergenerational deprivation.
Question for practice:
What should be the title of above article, in simple sentences, 7 words only. Please don’t use”:” this symbols. It should be grammatically correct sentence
