Children and mothers in Calcutta and the districts are as deficient in vitamins and minerals as their counterparts in the rest of the country.

Deficiency in folic acid and zinc are also a major cause for concern in the city, according to the report, Controlling Vitamin and Mineral Deficiency in India?Meeting the Goal, prepared by Micronutrient Initiative (MI), a non-government organisation.

The report, which will be submitted to the Prime Minister on Friday, recommended a time-barred private-public-civic partnership programme with an annual investment of Rs 500 crore to fight the menace nationally. The report was discussed at a meet in the city on Thursday.

?We can say that West Bengal is equally bad in comparison with the national scenario. Specifically, the problem of deficiency in folic acid and zinc is a major one. Although there is no proper data on the victims of folic acid deficiency, yet a large number of children are born with spinal deformity in the state and spend their lives in wheelchairs. Moreover, many children have underdeveloped bodies and brains because of a deficiency of zinc in the diet of the mothers,? said Luc Laviolette, regional director of MI, Asia region.

The report recommends a national plan to tackle the problem, with the state as well as the Centre developing the financing as well as partnership arrangements, with stress on roping in private firms. The plan is expected to be finalised by June 2006, according to the MI experts.

?The private companies also have a vital role to play in the plan, pooling in both their financial resources, as well as bringing fortified products (products enriched with vitamins and minerals) for the masses. Now, such products are only within the reach of the affluent in the city. The Rs 500 crore we proposed as an investment to fight the menace can be easily drawn from sources inside the country, including private parties as well as the government,? observed Laviolette.

MI has been present in India since 1977, and most of its projects are based in West Bengal. Various projects have been undertaken here in collaboration with the state government.

?There are a number of plans for Bengal. The state education department has shown interest in fortifying (enriching with minerals and vitamins) locally-cooked food provided under the mid-day meal scheme in schools in the city and adjoining districts,? said M.G. Venkatesh Mannar, president of MI.