BPNI-IBFAN India released its India Report

The released of India Report (http://worldbreastfeedingtrends.org/report/WBTi-India-Assessment-Repor-2008.pdf),  by Sh. Mani Shankar Aiyar, Minister for Panchayati Raj, reveals the dismal state of support to
women for breastfeeding and the lack of will to invest in this most effective intervention for saving newborn
and infant lives and preventing early malnutrition.

The India Report is an outcome of the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative (WBTi) (www.worldbreastfeedingtrends.org) launched in 51 countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America in 2008
by the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) Asia (www.ibfanasia.org), to track, assess and monitor policies and programmes to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.

The India Report (http://worldbreastfeedingtrends.org/reportcard/India-reportcard-2008.pdf) is the result
of an assessment of policies and programmes related to protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding, based on government documents and information given by the government under RTI as recently as September/October 2008. The Report reveals that India has no concrete policy or budget line for these activities and highlights deficiencies in programmes designed to support breastfeeding women. For example very little support is available to a woman to continue her work as well as breastfeed her baby optimally,
or for a woman caught up in a disaster situation. With food prices rising, the global economy in crisis, and the contaminated baby milk scandal still impacting thousands of lives, now, more than ever, the breastfeeding
right of every woman and her child for health and adequate nutrition should be at the top of every agenda.

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