Stock Photo - A child stares from their shack, at a slum in Dhapa, Kolkata, West Bengal, India October 18, 2008 Despite a robust economy with 9 percent annual growth in recent years, inflation and the food crisis in India now threaten to erode many of the gains made here India’s state of Madhya Pradesh, Maharastra and West Bengal which has the highest child mortality and child malnutrition rates in the country, government supplementary programmes are under threat Approximately 60 million children are underweight in India which is highest in the world Given its impact on health, education and productivity, persistent malnutrition is a major obstacle to human development and economic growth in the country