Nutritional deficiency of children in Odisha: A case study of two villages in the Balangir district of KBK region of Odisha

The instant and maiden visit of the Prime Minister of India, Late Shri Rajiv Gandhi to the KBK (KalahandiBalangir-Koraput) Region in the early 80’s, associated with the threatening tale of a mother (selling away her child for a paltry sum of Rs. 2/-only) flashed out the region into the global firmament, as the most ignobly deprived and distressed region in the Developing world. India is home to largest child population in the world with around 157.86 million children, constituting 15.42 percent of India’s population, who are below the age of 6 years. A significant proportion of these children live in low/poor economic and social environment, which predisposes them to poor nutrition and impedes their physical and mental development. (http:wcd.nic.in/icds.htm). The Department of Women and Child Development (DWCD) runs programmes for the 0-6 age group and frames policies and legislations for the Children. Though India has made progress in fulfilling its commitment to children in their survival protection and development needs, there is still a need to have concerted efforts for Child Development. While considering Odisha state as an administrative unit since the independent of the Indian Union, it has inherited pervasive poverty, illiteracy, poor housing, sanitation, water supply, with the highest MMR (Maternal Mortality Rate) and IMR (Infant Mortality Rate) in country. Hence, two rural settlement units, namely Kuhimunda and Baliabahal, are observed and analysis on the basis of nutritional deficiency and deprivation of children and examined as Case studies in the Balangir district in the background of contrasting locational and socio-economic parameters which find a place under the Kalahandi - Balangir-Koraput (KBK) region of Odisha.