In a heartbreaking incident underscoring the persistent malnutrition epidemic in Madhya Pradesh, a 15-month-old girl named Divyanshi died on Saturday at the district hospital in Shivpuri after her family allegedly refused treatment because she was female. Weighing just 3.7 kg with a hemoglobin level of 7.4 g/dL, Divyanshi's case marks the latest in a series of child fatalities linked to severe undernutrition in the state, where over 1.36 lakh children are classified as severely wasted.
Divyanshi's mother revealed that her in-laws repeatedly dismissed the child's illnesses, saying, "Whenever she fell ill, they said let her die, she is just a daughter." Despite being identified as malnourished under the state's Dastak Abhiyan scheme, the family ignored health workers' pleas to admit her to a Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre (NRC).
This gender-based discrimination exacerbated her condition, leading to complications like severe anemia, which can cause organ failure and impaired immune function in young children—a critical concern for medical professionals as low hemoglobin below 11 g/dL in infants often signals chronic nutrient deficiencies and requires immediate intervention such as iron supplementation and blood transfusions. Similar neglect was evident in recent cases, including the death of 1.5-year-old Radhika in Sheopur, who weighed only 2.5 kg, and another toddler in Bhind district.
Admissions to NRCs in tribal blocks have surged, with 85,330 children treated from 2020 to June 2025, including a peak of 20,741 in 2024-25. Madhya Pradesh's severe malnutrition rate stands at 7.79% for under-5 children, exceeding the national average of 5.40%, while anemia affects 57% of women, perpetuating a cycle of intergenerational undernutrition.
In May 2025, 45 of 55 districts were in the "red zone" on the Centre's Nutrition Tracker App, indicating over 20% of children are underweight.
Government allocations include Rs 4,895 crore for nutrition in 2025-26, with Rs 980 per child at NRCs and Rs 8-12 daily for Anganwadi beneficiaries, but critics argue these are insufficient.
Even two bananas cost more than Rs 12. Milk is Rs 70 a litre. What nutrition can you buy for Rs 8?Dr. Vikrant Bhuria, Congress MLA
Experts highlight the need for enhanced screening protocols in Anganwadis to detect severe acute malnutrition (SAM) early, characterized by weight-for-height z-scores below -3 SD, mid-upper arm circumference under 11.5 cm, and edema, which can be mitigated through therapeutic feeding programs like Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF).
Despite India's economic aspirations, over 50% of the population faces malnutrition or micronutrient deficiencies, leading global indicators for underweight children, stunting, and maternal mortality at 17% of the world's total. Causes include poverty, imbalanced diets lacking proteins and micronutrients, gender inequity, and inadequate information.
India’s under-nutrition is intergenerational, and rooted not only in poverty... but also lack of information and gender inequity.Veena S Rao, Former Ministry for the Development of the North East Region, India
(Rh/Eth/MKB/MSM)
