Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government revealed in the Assembly on Saturday that 11,710 children in the state are suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM).
This was revealed by Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, who oversees the Women and Child Development Department, shared this in response to a query by BJP MLA Laxman Bag.
According to the Deputy CM, Mayurbhanj district, which has a significant tribal population, recorded the highest number of SAM cases, with 1,460 affected children.
In Keonjhar, the home district of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, 1,269 children were identified with severe acute malnutrition. Nabarangpur district followed with 760 cases.
Other districts with notable numbers of SAM cases include Rayagada (645), Kalahandi (636), Malkangiri (570), Ganjam (558), and Balasore (536). Jagatsinghpur reported the lowest figure, with just 50 malnourished children, the Deputy CM noted.
Parida also detailed the government’s initiatives to combat malnutrition. Programs such as the Supplementary Nutrition Programme, Mukhymantri Sampoorna Pushti Yojana (MSPY), Pada Pushti Karyakram (PPK), and Mamata Diwas—observed as Village Health and Nutrition Day at Anganwadi centers—are being implemented to address the issue and improve child health outcomes.
