New Delhi: About 49 lakh wasted or low weight-for-height children under the age of five were found in the country in June this year, the Centre said on Wednesday.

Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said as per data recorded in Poshan Tracker, prevalence of wasting among children under five years of age was found to be 7 per cent out of close to seven crore children measured in the country in the month of June itself.

“…Out of which, 2.2 per cent children under five years of age were severely wasted, which is significantly lower than NFHS indicators,” Irani said in a written response to the question.

As per the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 2019-21, the prevalence of wasting among children under five years of age is 19.3 in 6.1 lakh households, out of which 7.7 per cent children under five years of age are severely wasted (weight-for-height).

Wasting, defined as low weight-for-height, in children is a serious condition characterised by a rapid and severe loss of weight and muscle mass. It is one of the indicators used to assess and diagnose malnutrition in children.