NEW DELHI: Madhya Pradesh has the worst statistics among the states to offer in terms of nutrition of children, with over 60 per cent of children in the 0-3 age group there being underweight.

While 60.3 per cent of the children in the 0-3 age group in Madhya Pradesh are underweight, in Jharkhand 59.3 per cent of the children suffer from under-nutrition, according to statistics provided by Women and Child Development Minister Renuka Chowdhury in Rajya Sabha on Monday.

As per the figures, given in a written reply, 58.4 per cent of the children in Bihar are underweight, while the figure for Chhattisgarh is only slightly better at 52.1 per cent.

The all-India figure for malnutrition among children in the 0-3 age group is 45.9 per cent.
   
The Northeastern states are better off, with Mizoram having the best statistic of 21.6 per cent.
   
Sikkim has the second-best record, with 22.6 per cent of the children in the state being underweight, while 23.8 per cent of the children in Manipur are malnourished.