CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD

Maharashtra has been showing relatively low child mortality rates (CMR) for Melghat, but this may not reflect the real picture. The state calculates CMR based on the number of deaths of children (aged up to 6) for every 1,000 children in that same age group. However, nationally and internationally, CMR is usually based on the number of deaths of children (aged up to 5) for every 1,000 live births. By this calculation, Melghat’s CMR for 2010-11 would be 73.22 (for children aged up to 6) and not 13.77 as reflected in the table. In any case, Melghat’s child mortality rate is much higher than the 2008 Maharashtra average of 7.5.