Kathmandu, July 13: Experts have called for the nationwide implementation of the child nutrition allowance to help eliminate malnutrition and promote the healthy development of Nepal’s children, describing children as the nation’s greatest asset.
Speaking at a programme titled “Condition, Challenges of Child Nutrition in Nepal and the Role of Concerned Bodies,” jointly organised by Jagriti Child and Youth Concern Nepal and KANALLAN, participants stressed the need to increase investment in children’s health and nutrition to ensure they grow into healthy, educated and skilled citizens.
Child rights advocates argued that the current child nutrition allowance, which is available in only 25 districts, should be expanded nationwide. They said such an expansion would support Nepal’s long-term human capital development goals outlined in the country’s 16th National Plan.
Presenting a working paper on the state of child nutrition, Dr. Kiran Rupakheti said various national surveys continue to show that many children in Nepal suffer from malnutrition, resulting in stunting, wasting and obesity. He stressed that improving child nutrition across the country is essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and building a healthier population.
Dr. Rupakheti also noted that, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 90 per cent of a child’s brain development occurs during the first five years of life. He said this highlights the importance of increasing investment in early childhood nutrition to ensure long-term physical and cognitive development.
Lila Bikram Thapa, Chief of the Nutrition Section at the Department of Health Services under the Ministry of Health and Food Safety, acknowledged that progress in the nutrition sector has been limited due to inadequate resources and budget constraints. He said expanding the child nutrition allowance would be an important step toward improving children’s health and raising a healthier future generation.
Meanwhile, Prakash Panthi, Head of the Local Level Coordination Branch at the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives, Federal Affairs and General Administration, said that the government is currently implementing a multi-sectoral nutrition programme through conditional grants.
According to him, nutrition facilitators have been deployed in 421 municipalities across the country to support local nutrition programmes and improve child health outcomes. Tilottam Poudel, President of Jagriti Child and Youth Concern Nepal, said that since the 2009/10 fiscal year, children under the age of five in Karnali Province and 25 districts with low Human Development Index (HDI) rankings have been receiving a monthly child nutrition allowance.
He noted that the allowance, which had remained at Rs. 532 per child per month, has been increased to Rs. 1,000 in the current fiscal year. Poudel urged all stakeholders to take initiatives within their respective sectors to recognise children as a matter of national priority and expand the child nutrition allowance to every district across Nepal.
He said increasing investment in child nutrition would contribute significantly to the country’s long-term human capital development. Child rights activist Savnam Sunar also called on the government to extend the child nutrition allowance nationwide, arguing that limiting the programme to only 25 districts leaves many vulnerable children without adequate nutritional support.
She stressed that providing nutritious food to children is an investment in the country’s future, as healthy children are essential for Nepal’s long-term social and economic development. During the programme, members of both the National Assembly and the House of Representatives expressed their commitment to advocate for the nationwide expansion of the child nutrition allowance and pledged to raise the issue in Parliament. #nutrition #nepal
