New Delhi: Child mortality rates in India
are the highest in tribal areas with figures exceeding the
national average, according to a new report.
The report `Child Mortality among Adivasis in India`
was prepared by the World Bank.
Replying to a written question in the Rajya Sabha as to
whether the government was aware of the report, Minister of
State for Health and Family Welfare Dinesh Trivedi replied in
the affirmative.
Trivedi said child mortality can be attributed to a
number of causes. The top causes of deaths among children
0-4 years are perinatal conditions (33 per cent), respiratory
infections (22 per cent), diarrhoeal diseases (14 per cent),
other infections (11 per cent), nutritional deficiencies (2.8
per cent) and congenital anomalies (2.7 per cent).
The government was taking steps through the National
Rural Health Mission to address the problem, he said.
Replying to another question, he said the number of
female foeticide cases in the country had seen a dip but has
again increased last year.
As per information received from the National Crime
Records Bureau, the number of reported cases of foeticide were
125, 96, 73 and 107 during the years 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009
respectively.
PTI
