In a path-breaking move set to redefine how India monitors and manages child health and nutrition, the groundwork for the nation’s first-ever indigenous ‘Child Growth Standard’ has officially begun in Purulia.

Spearheaded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), under central government’s UNNATI initiative, this research project seeks to replace the long-standing reliance on international benchmarks with data-driven, India-specific growth references for children up to two years of age.

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Dr Samiran Bisai, a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health (UK) and associate professor at Sidho Kanho Birsha University, Purulia, is leading the study as principal investigator. He is supported by co-principal investigators Prof. Sandip Sen (head, paediatrics) and Dr Sibsankar Murmu (gynaecology) from Deben Mahato Government Medical College & Hospital.

Until now, child growth in India was assessed using WHO’s 2006 growth charts, which were based on limited data — including a small subset from South Delhi that failed to reflect India’s immense ethnic, climatic, and dietary diversity. In response, the ICMR has launched the India child growth standards research initiative, aiming to establish growth benchmarks that truly reflect the physical, nutritional, and environmental realities of Indian children.

The study, formally titled “India Child Growth Standards Research Initiative: A Prospective Cohort Study to Develop Growth Standards in 0 to 24 Month Indian Children,” will gather data between 2025 and 2027 from six representative zones — Eastern (Purulia & Midnapore), Western (Pune), Northern (New Delhi), Southern (Bengaluru), North-Eastern (Shillong), and Central (Indore). ICMR will serve as the national coordinating agency, in collaboration with local health bodies and NGOs.

Recently, a high-level training workshop was conducted at St. John’s Medical College, Bengaluru, for nurses and nurturing care workers. It focused on standardized anthropometric assessments and child monitoring techniques. Project teams from all six zones took part, ensuring methodological uniformity across the study.

Dr Bisai emphasised the scientific depth of the study: “Each child enrolled will be tracked continuously for two years — from birth through critical early development stages. This allows us to observe how factors like seasonal climate shifts, regional diets, and illness patterns influence growth trajectories.”

A cohort of 500 healthy pregnant women is being recruited for the study. Researchers will monitor their children’s birth conditions, weight and height progression, dietary intake, and health events such as fever or infections. These insights will help identify malnutrition patterns, nutritional gaps, and vulnerable periods in early childhood development.

The ultimate goal is to craft a scientifically rigorous, nationally representative growth chart that can serve as the foundation for paediatric assessments, public health strategies, and targeted nutrition interventions. Once finalised, this new standard could lead to policy revisions in Anganwadi meal plans, mid-day meal schemes, and child healthcare protocols.

With this initiative, India is taking a decisive step toward self-reliance in public health metrics — a move that could significantly enhance the precision and impact of the country’s fight against child malnutrition, said a senior health department official.