Matale District SJB MP Rohini Kaviratne told Parliament on Tuesday that Sri Lanka had been placed sixth in the world in terms of underweight children below five years of age, and has been ranked second in South Asia for facing severe malnutrition.
Presenting a motion on Malnutrition of Children and Mothers in Sri Lanka for the debate, the MP said that Sri Lanka was one of the countries with the highest incidence of malnutrition among children.
Kaviratne said that due to the economic crisis in the country, the price of food had become unbearable and children under the age of five were the worst affected by this situation.Considering this situation, the government should immediately implement a formal programme to raise the children’s nutrition level, the MP said.