Thatcher the Milk Snatcher wasn’t that wrong!
The latest nutrition survey paints a grim picture of stunting
The writer is a senior political economist based in Islamabad. He can be reached at [email protected]
Thatcher, the Milk Snatcher, quirked the British press in 1970. As education secretary, she restricted the free provision of milk to prevent malnutrition. She had her neoliberal reasons to cut public spending. Delivered in foil-sealed bottles exposed to various hazards, it now transpires that the denial may well have saved lives from bacterial infection. This was bottled milk. Out here, 90% of the milk is delivered in loose form. With the adverse impact of climate change, poor access to water and sanitation in rural areas, sprawling urban waste and widespread neglect of personal hygiene significantly reduce the chance of the traditional milkman’s delivery safe for consumption. Even before delivery, the neglected health of the milch animals creates its own problems. In urban areas, 42% of the garbage was collected in 2018-19, and a mere 2% in rural areas. Sanitation for 37% of the households meant open drains and for another 35%, no system. Only 50% of the households had access to handwashing facilities. The latest nutrition survey paints a grim picture of stunting.