India is high on the hunger map. Despite the government's tall promises on the food security bill, nearly 50 per cent of the world's hungry live in India and the global economic crisis may add more as food prices decline. Nutritional and health indicators are also extremely low.

About 35 per cent of India's population - around 350 million - do not know where their next meal will come from. Nearly nine out of ten pregnant women aged between 15 and 49 years suffer from malnutrition and anemia.

Though many hope that the economic recession, will not last more than a year or two, there is one segment that is going to feel its impact lifelong. A majority of children below five in the country whose health may be compromised forever. Experts warn that the country cannot afford to wake up when its too late, when shocking figures start showing up in health data.

Balamma carries leftovers from the home where she works as domestic help for her two children. Her two-year old toddler, crying in hunger usually gets his first meal at noon. Balamma's husband Krishna has not been keeping well and getting work as construction labour has been very erratic recently. "It's very difficult, even when we have to buy oil and dal once a week. I don't give the children any milk because I can't afford it," she says.

In India, 40 to 45 per cent of the children under five are already undernourished and stunted in growth. And 70 per cent of the children consume less than 50 per cent of the micronutrients they are supposed to consume. This deprivation, made worse by economic recession could be a healthy future lost forever for an entire generation.
 
Dr B Sesikeran, Director of National Institute of Nutrition says, "Even those marginally better nourished, will be pushed into the undernourished bracket because of the economic recession. That is a major concern."

For children less than two years old, this will leave a lifelong imprint.

Dr G N V Brahmam, community data expert on nutrition, says, "Diet survey have shown intake of protective foods like pulses, leafy vegetables and other vegetables is very, very low. Midterm solution is to fortify foods with micronutrients because we are not able to meet through balanced diets."

Nutritionists point out that this is nothing less than an emergency and existing infrastructure must be quickly geared up to meet the challenge.