Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has criticized the practice of child marriage in Bihar terming it the main reason for stunted growth of children in the state.
Addressing a function in Jehanabad, yesterday, Mr Kumar said, to get rid of social maladies prevailing in the society, the state government would launch a concerted campaign against child marriage and dowry system from 2nd October this year. Stressing that the state has a problem of stunted growth of children he urged people to keep away from a child marriage and dowry.
The report by the International Food Policy Research Institute, IFPRI, has said, Four out of every 10 children in Bihar suffer from stunting, a condition marked by impaired growth and development. The prevalence of child stunting in the state is about 48 per cent.