Rajbiraj, November 17

Shambhu Kumar Ram, now 17, of Dadha, Saptari used to be a child labourer until he suddenly fell ill four years ago.

Severely malnourished, his parents used almost all their property trying to cure their son, but nothing worked.

Shambhu’s mother Shantidevi said, “We took him to doctors, to shamans, we did everything we possibly could. We sold our land for his treatment, but he is still ill.”

Malnutrition is a major health issue in Saptari, attributed to poverty.

Information Officer at the District Development Committee, Saptari Nawaraj Khadka informed that about 28 per cent of the total population of 570,000 people in Saptari lives below the poverty line. “About 2.6 per cent of the total population is malnourished,” he added.

Despite the huge investment of Rs 119.7 million under the Golden Thousand Days programme to combat malnutrition in the district, the situation remains dire.

Besides, other projects such as the Poverty Alleviation Fund and Garibsanga Bisheshwor Karyakram are currently operating in the district with a combined budget of Rs 265 million.