India harbours nearly 195 million 'undernourished' people

New Delhi: A seminar in Guwahati on Wednesday, declared nearly 195 million of India's total population as 'undernourished', being devoid of access to healthy diet.

Assam featured among the bottom five states of the country, with its health and nutrition indicators showing 36.4 percent children under five years of age stunted and infant mortality rate at a high 48 percent.

The seminar 'Transforming the Food and Nutrition Landscape in Assam', organised by Coalition for Food and Nutrition Security, India (CFNS) and Inter Agency Group (IAG), Assam, stressed the need for an urgent and concerted action along with a new development agenda to tackle hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in the state.

Opportunities for achieving food and nutrition security in a sustainable way have been globally identified and many countries are making progress on it.

Assam Chief Secretary V K Pipersenia stressed on the need for urgent action on the issue and said that the state can tackle the problem besides setting an example for other states.

The seminar also discussed how resources can be optimally utilised to improve the present situation and what best could be done to achieve the state targets.

(With PTI inputs)