The Madhya Pradesh government is facing criticism for spending very little on food for malnourished children. According to official data shared in the state assembly, the government spends only Rs 8 per day on malnourished children and Rs 12 per day on those who are severely malnourished.

This information came out after Congress MLA Vikrant Bhuria asked a question in the assembly. The Congress party said this amount is far too low to help children recover from malnutrition. Bhuria pointed out that while only Rs 12 is spent on a child’s food, Rs 40 per day is spent on cow feed. He also noted that officials spend thousands of rupees on snacks and dry fruits in meetings, while children suffering from malnutrition get barely enough to survive.

Government data shows that about 1.36 lakh (136,000) children in the state are malnourished. Out of these, nearly 30,000 are severely malnourished. The state's malnutrition rate is 7.79%, which is higher than the national average of 5.4%.

The situation is especially serious in tribal areas like Sheopur, Dhar, Khargone, Barwani, Chhindwara, and Balaghat. In some places, every fourth child is severely malnourished. For example, one-year-old Kartik from Sheopur was brought to a nutrition centre by his grandmother. He was so weak that his bones were visible. Similarly, six-month-old twins from Bhikhapur village were also admitted to a centre for the same reason.

Women and Child Development Minister Nirmala Bhuria admitted that the current funds are not enough and said the state has asked the central government for more money. She added that other states are also demanding an increase in the nutrition allowance.