Mumbai's slum rehab authority tasked with making slums malnutrition-free as health dept report flags over 5,000 cases

The SRA has been tasked with constructing Anganwadi centers in slum areas and arrange for food and nutrition facilities for children.

The Maharashtra government has directed the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) to take responsibility for tackling malnutrition in slum areas of Mumbai, following a report which noted that more than 5,000 children in the country’s financial capital are malnourished.

A recent report by the health department identified more than 5,000 moderately malnourished children in Mumbai, particularly in slum pockets such as Govandi, Shivaji Nagar and Khar. (Photo for representation)

The SRA, one of the state government’s revenue-generating agencies, has been tasked with constructing Anganwadi centers in slum areas and arrange for food and nutrition facilities for children.

A recent report by the health department identified more than 5,000 moderately malnourished children in Mumbai, particularly in slum pockets such as Govandi, Shivaji Nagar and Khar. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis last week flagged the persistence of malnutrition among children in Mumbai’s slums, despite the city’s high per capita income, and called for targeted interventions through corporate social responsibility (CSR) partnerships. Subsequently, Mumbai suburban guardian minister Ashish Shelar held the third review meeting on malnutrition in the city.

Govt initiatives to eradicate malnutrition

At the meeting on Thursday, Shelar asked the SRA to launch a dedicated programme to make Mumbai’s slum areas malnutrition-free. The authority, which pays substantial premiums to the civic body for slum redevelopment projects, has so far constructed around 3,00 Anganwadi centers in slum areas.

Another 38 are under construction, while 300 more are at the planning stage in areas undergoing redevelopment. These facilities will be handed over to the women and child development department for maintenance. Shelar, however, asked the SRA to take responsibility for maintaining them.

“Instead of waiting for the civic body or other state government departments to step in, the SRA should also make arrangements for providing food to children in these slums. It would cost the authority only a few crore rupees, but would go a long way in improving children's health. The SRA spends crores on premiums, and it should not be difficult for it to bear the additional expenditure to ensure better hygiene and healthcare facilities in the slums it is mandated to rehabilitate,” said an official who attended the meeting.

Shelar has directed the SRA to prepare an action plan for the initiative within 15 days. He also asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to coordinate with the state’s women and child development and health departments, along with other agencies, to form a comprehensive strategy to tackle malnutrition and submit a report within a month.

Minister pitches ‘Slum-free Mumbai’

Describing the presence of nearly 5,000 moderately malnourished children as a matter of grave concern and shame, Shelar said the SRA, which was implementing the government's vision of a ‘Slum-free Mumbai’, should also take up the mission of a ‘Malnutrition-Free Mumbai’. The programme will focus on children living in slum rehabilitation project areas, he said.

The minister also directed officials to ensure that children accompanying migrant families arriving in Mumbai, particularly those displaced by drought, are registered immediately and provided with nutritious food and healthcare. He stressed the need to address the shortage of adequate space for anganwadis in slum rehabilitation areas.

Malnutrition among children in urban slums is linked to poverty, inadequate access to nutritious food, poor sanitation and gaps in healthcare and childcare services. Anganwadis, which provide supplementary nutrition, preschool education and basic health services under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme, play a crucial role in addressing the problem. Migrant families are particularly vulnerable, as their children may miss out on these services due to a lack of registration and continuity of care, officials said.

A survey conducted by anganwadi workers under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme in February 2025 identified 16,344 cases of malnutrition among children from economically weaker families in Mumbai suburban district. Of the 2,34,896 children screened for height and weight, 2,887 were found to be severely malnourished and 13,457 moderately malnourished. Following the findings, Mumbai suburban guardian minister Ashish Shelar in April 2025 directed the district administration to prepare a remedial action plan within 10 days. The BMC's health department was also asked to conduct medical check-ups to verify the findings and prepare a final list of malnourished children for submission to the state government.

The medical check up drive and the corrective measures have helped the government in reducing the number to around 5000, according to officials who attended the meeting on Thursday.