Children are the future of any country.

Notwithstanding the impressive economic growth record in the recent past, India continues to have high rates of malnutrition, especially among women and children.

This paper examines two interrelated questions; What is the extent of gender gap in adult malnutrition in India and whether such gender gap is specific to India alone? These questions analyzing the National Family Health Survey (2005-06) unit-level data.

Undernourished women tend to deliver low birth weight babies (Karmer, 1987) and to have pregnancy complications (Baird, 1947). Perinatal mortality and prematurity rates were found to be high among short statured women (Barros, 1987).

In India tribals are neglected a lot, discriminated in terms of income distribution and social status.