Maharashtra: Over 4,000 children found suffering from acute malnutrition in Mumbai

Mumbai: More than 4,000 children were found suffering from acute malnutrition in Mumbai, the financial capital of the country, this year till August, a Maharashtra minister has told the state Legislative Council. Women and Child Development Minister Yashomati Thakur gave this information in the Upper House of the state legislature on Thursday while responding to a question asked by Congress MLC Bhai Jagtap.

"As on August this year, 4,194 children were found suffering from acute malnutrition in Mumbai city. Maximum cases were found in Dharavi, Malvani, Mankhurd and Govandi areas," she said. A nutrition rehabilitation centre was set up at Shatabdi Hospital in Mumbai on August 20 to provide medication to bring the children out of acute malnutrition. Other schemes are also being implemented to improve the health of the malnourished children and their mothers, Thakur added.

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Hundreds of government schools in many parts of Maharashtra's Marathwada have no power supply. Power supply to 1,254 schools has been disconnected for unpaid electricity bills.

As many as 5,279 Zilla Parishad schools in eight districts of the region owe Rs 9.82 crore to the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd. The schools whose power supply has been stopped are required to pay Rs 3.47 crore. The highest number of schools that don't have electricity supply are from Aurangabad district (238). They collectively owe Rs 28.91 lakh to the MSEDCL.

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