India’s higher economic growth has not been able to provide a better nutritional status for the country’s adolescent’s girls, as the country houses the largest population of adolescents (243 million) almost 20 percent of the world’s adolescent population followed by China (207 million) and United States (44 million).
Latest report issued by UNICEF states, 47 percent girls in the age group of 11 – 19 years are underweight in India which is highest in the world. It further states that 56 percent of the girls aged between 15-19 are also anaemic.
The report also states that almost 30 percent of the adolescent’s girls (15-19 years) get married during adolescence. NFHS survey further shows that 38 percent girls that is every third girl in Assam get married before reaching the legal age for marriage. Although the good news is that there has been a steady decline in the proportion of girls marrying before 18 years of age.
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