Abstract

Malnutrition (or more precisely, “undernutrition”) rates in India are alarming, with 39 per cent of women aged 15–49 and 47 per cent of children under three reported as undernourished in rural areas (NFHS, 2007). The direct causes of undernourishment are inadequate dietary intake and diseases that diminish the human body’s ability to absorb nutrients (UNICEF, 2011). Inadequate dietary intake and diseases are, in turn, caused by poor access to affordable food and clean water, sanitation, health services and inadequate care of individuals within a household, as shown in Figure 7.1.