Now, baby doom in Kandhamal

Kandhamal is once again in the news and this time too for the wrong reason. The impoverished district in Orissa has earned the dubious distinction of having the highest infant mortality rate (IMR) with 121 deaths per 1,000 live births.

The figures were revealed in a report published by the New Delhi-based Population Foundation of India (PFI) in its publication, ‘Infant and child mortality in India: district-level estimates’.

“Among 593 districts in the country, Kandhamal has the highest IMR at 121 and Kottayam in Kerala has the lowest IMR at 13,” the report stated. The national infant mortality rate is 54 per 1,000 live births.

Orissa’s planning minister Duryodhan Majhi said agriculture was the main occupation of the people of Kandhamal, but more than 70% of the land in the district fell in hilly areas. As a result, two-third of the population in the area falls in the below poverty line bracket.

Among the states, Madhya Pradesh continues to lead the in terms of IMR. The state has the highest IMR at 94, followed by Orissa at 90. Kerala has the lowest IMR at 18.
In case of child mortality rate (CMR), which includes toddlers below five, Madhya Pradesh takes the lead again. The state has the highest CMR at 102 followed by Uttar
Pradesh at 94 and Orissa at 90. Kerala has the lowest CMR at 20.