Patna, Oct. 11: Chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi today launched the state government’s ambitious “Bal Kuposhan Mukt Bihar” campaign to get rid of the problem of malnutrition among children below three years of age.

Launching the campaign on the occasion of Jaya Prakash Narayan’s birth anniversary, Manjhi said: “We are starting the campaign on the day when the country is celebrating JP’s birth anniversary. We have to remove the problem of malnutrition among the children, especially those under three years of age, because healthy and disciplined children are future leaders of the country.”

Manjhi added that there are 47 per cent of malnutrition among the children under three years of age at present and the figure has to be brought down to 30 per cent by 2016-17.

Social welfare department sources said there are 1.45 crore of children under the age of three years in the state and of this, around 65 lakh are suffering from malnutrition.

Stating that the issue of malnutrition is crucial for any developing society, Manjhi said the state government would ensure that funds are not a crunch in achieving the goal of removing malnutrition even if central government hesitates in funding the programme.

Manjhi, however, said “prevention is better than cure” but at the same time he emphasised on keeping mothers healthy. “It would help in our fight against malnutrition if we pay equal attention towards the health of mothers.”

Manjhi said there should be a minimum gap of five years, instead of much publicised three years, between two children.