Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala has always been a frontrunner in health index and education vis-a-vis the national standards. This trend has once again come to the fore with the announcement the of first Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS) that has found Kerala far ahead of other States in providing nutrition to children under 2 years.
"The survey showed that only 6.4 per cent of children under 2 had adequate nutrition in the country, but in Kerala it was 32.6 per cent. It also showed that except Kerala some children in all states were suffering from Anemia," Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a Facebook post on Thursday.
The CNNS released by the Centre on Monday was the first such survey covering pre-schoolers, school-age children, and adolescents in rural and urban areas across 30 states of India.
The CNNS provides national and state level representative data for nutritional status and micronutrient deficiencies among children and adolescents from birth to 19 years and estimates of biomarkers for non-communicable diseases among those aged 5-19.
The CM said the achievement was an appreciation of the state government's involvement in child welfare and protection.
A report released by NITI Aayog recently also showed that in terms of quality of school education, Kerala has emerged on top among 20 large states.
While Kerala with a score of 76.6 per cent was followed by Rajasthan and Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state with a score of 36.4 per cent, was ranked at the bottom.
