Absolute incompetence of BJP unmasked by NFHS-6 data: Mallikarjun Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the BJPled Centre over the findings of the sixth round of the National Family Health Survey NFHS6 alleging that the government has failed to adequately address issues related to nutrition and healthcare among women and childrenKharge claimed that the latest survey data exposed serious shortcomings in the governments welfare efforts and accused the Centre of concealing information that reflects poorly on its performanceKharge Cites Malnutrition and Anaemia ConcernsIn a post on social media platform X the Congress chief said the findings of the NFHS6 highlighted persistent challenges in child nutrition and maternal health across the countryReferring to survey figures Kharge alleged that one in five children suffers from acute malnutrition and that nearly onethird of Indian children remain underweight He also claimed that more than 84 per cent of children between six and 23 months of age do not receive adequate nutritionThe Congress leader further pointed to concerns regarding womens health citing earlier survey data which showed a high prevalence of anaemia among women aged between 15 and 49 years He also claimed that a significant proportion of women continue to face undernourishmentCongress Accuses Centre of Hiding FailuresKharge alleged that the BJP government follows a pattern of suppressing information that highlights policy shortcomings According to him the government focuses on publicity campaigns while failing to adequately address challenges faced by vulnerable sections of societyThe Congress president argued that critical health and nutrition indicators require greater policy attention and called for transparency in the publication and interpretation of official dataHis remarks come amid a political debate over the findings of the latest health survey and the effectiveness of government programmes aimed at improving nutrition healthcare access and maternal welfareNFHS6 Covers Nearly 68 Lakh HouseholdsThe National Family Health Survey NFHS6 was conducted during 202324 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with the International Institute for Population Sciences serving as the nodal agency for the exerciseThe survey covered nearly 679 lakh households across 715 districts and collected extensive data on population trends family welfare nutrition reproductive health and healthcare indicatorsNFHS findings are widely used by policymakers researchers and state governments to assess social development indicators and design welfare programmes at both national and district levelsCentre Highlights Improvements in Child HealthWhile opposition parties have raised concerns over certain indicators the Union Health Ministry has highlighted several positive outcomes from the latest surveyAccording to the ministry NFHS6 data shows notable improvements in child health indicators including higher immunisation coverage and better nutritional outcomes in several areas The government has also stated that India continues to make progress towards achieving universal immunisation coverageOfficials maintain that sustained investments in healthcare infrastructure vaccination drives and nutritionrelated programmes have contributed to improvements recorded in the latest surveyPolitical Debate Over Welfare Outcomes ContinuesKharges criticism has added to the ongoing political debate surrounding the interpretation of NFHS6 data While the Congress has used the findings to question the governments record on nutrition and healthcare the Centre has pointed to improvements in key indicators as evidence of progressWith inputs from PTI