Nutritional challenges in coming decades in India
Two recent trends in India may force nutritionist to think differently. According to data from the recent census, for the first time, urban population has far outnumbered the rural numbers and, secondly, women constitute a larger chunk of the population in cities and towns than has ever been recorded in Indian history. The 2001 census figures point out that for the first time since 1921, urban India has added more population in a decade than rural India did. Gandhiji's statement that India lives in her village may now have to undergo a rethink just as nutritionists may have to rethink strategies to tackle nutrition deficiencies in sprawling urban areas. India's rural population today stands at 833.1 million. This means in a decade, there has been a phenomenal increase of 90.6 million. There are three possible causes: migration, natural increase and inclusion of new areas as urban. Possible causes and theories apart, what India will soon be facing is a strange p...