Nutritional Status of Children in India and SDGs:

Despite economic growth in India having recently been achieved to a greater extent than previously, the fruits of development have failed to improve the nutritional status of the country's children. Adequate nutrition is required during infancy and early childhood for the physical growth and mental and cognitive development of children to their potential level. Deficit nutrition leads to short-term and long-term effects like mental impairment, reduced intellect, and lower productivity. Moreover, nutritional status is also inversely related to the child mortality rate; as nutritional status is increased, it leads to a lower child mortality rate. However, many factors affect the nutritional status of children, like economic factors, political factors, social factors, environmental factors, and so on, but parental factors play a crucial role in determining the nutritional status of children in India. The study's first objective will show the status of child malnutrition in India; the second will explain how parental factors influence the nutritional status of children in India; and the third will examine whether India has achieved Sustainable Development Goals (SDG goal 2). The present study will employ secondary data like the NFHS-5 (2019-21)