Muzzafarpur children deaths figure in LS: Govt sensitive to the challenges, says Smriti
New Delhi, : The issue of child nutrition and healthcare in Muzaffarpur figured in the Lok Sabha on Friday during Question Hour.
Asking supplementary questions to the Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani, the Congress floor leader Adhir Chowdhury raised the issue and said the government should be concerned about the issue of malnutrition in Muzaffarpur as many children lost their lives there.
Responding to him, Ms Irani said the issue related to Muzaffarpur did not relate to her ministry but the government was very much sensitive to the issue of malnutrition in Bihar and also other parts of the country.
She said the Ministries of Health and Family Welfare and the Drinking Water and Sanitation were involved in the work as some deaths of children are also linked to sanitation issues.
But Ms Irani, however, referred to the fact that Mr Adhir Chodhury hails from West Bengal and said there was very poor record of implementation of women and child welfare schemes in West Bengal.
Even as the remarks were objected by Trinamool member Saugat Roy, Mr Chowdhury pointed fingers towards the Trinamool bench to highlight the fact that the eastern state is under Trinamool dispensation.
Ms Irani also informed the House that a nationwide campaign POSHAN Abhiyan is on and the drive aims to reduce malnutrition across the country in a phased manner through a life cycle approach by adopting a synergised and result oriented approach.
The Minister maintained the target of the campaign is to bring down stunting of children in the age group of zero to six years from 38.4 per cent to 25 per cent by the year 2022.
The issue of child deaths and malnutrition and such related issues also figured in the House during Zero Hour later.
A large number of children have died due to acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) in the past fortnight and many more are feared infected and also are confronted with the challenge of malnutrition.
UNI.