"Current patterns of economic growth has not translated into reducing child under-nutrition in India. Perhaps some trickle down to the rich, but certainly not for the rest, and certainly not for the poor. Even the postnatal interventions works in the short run.
"We need to consider intergenerational prospectives and introduce adolescent health interventions," said Subramaniam delivering a lecture on 'Child under-nutrition in India: Lessons learned' at the India International Centre.
"And few future interventions need to focus on the time frame when the children are growing," he said.
Subramaniam questioned the notion as highlighted by media that the child malnutrition in India is a myth as stated by Arvind Panagariya, an Indian-American economist and Bhagwati Professor of Economics at Columbia University.
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Subramaniam demonstrated that the growth pattern of Indian kids during their early years is no different from kids from elsewhere when they are exposed to ideal nutritional socio-economic environment.
He also pointed that the role of family and how a good household can help in combating the problem.
"The need for India is to look beyond child survival and take a holistic perspective of child development," he said.
India still carries the burden of 7.5 million low birth weight in the world as compared to Pakistan which has only 1.5 million, Bangladesh having 0.7 million, Nigeria, 0.8 million, Philippines having 0.5 million and rest of the world accounting for 9.5 million low birth weight as per the UNICEF.