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Seventy-five percent of children in southern Manpur suffer from malnutrition.

Thousands of children in the Gaya district of Bihar have become victims of malnutrition. Many are near death, and many are in need of immediate medical attention. According to a BGVS (Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti) report, two thousand and seventy four (2074) children in the Manpur area alone suffer from malnutrition. Out of these, sixty one (61) are beyond any reach of help, nearing their death. Two hundred and forty six (246) children are in dire need of medical attention.

The BGVS has examined five thousand six hundred and seventy four (5674) houses in the fifty villages of the Manpur district. Out of the two thousand seven hundred and ninety five (2795) weighed, two thousand and seventy four (2074) children were found to be suffering from malnutrition.

Doctors of the BGVS said that a diet deficient in iodine, Vitamin A, and a host of other important vitamins and minerals, is the cause of malnutrition, and many diseases among children. They said that along with nutritious diets, children need to be exposed to sun light. In addition, if a pregnant woman is suffering from malnutrition, the chances of her baby becoming a victim of malnutrition are very high.

Phoolmati Devi, a mother of six children in the village of Barandi, said that her household ran on the income of only one person, her husband, and that it was too meager to feed the mouths of eight people. Kalyani Devi, a mother of seven, had a similar story: her husband’s earnings could not provide for the complete nourishment of her children, as a result of which, all her children were victims of malnutrition, and very often fell sick. How then to provide sun light to the ailing children, who remain in bed with high fevers? There is an extreme shortage of work in the Manpur area, due to which men cannot earn enough money to feed their families. How then to provide nutritious meals to their sick children?