Ludhiana, April 7 -- A recent health screening conducted under the state government's Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) found that Barnala district reported most cases severe acute malnutrition (50) and severe anaemia (37) across Punjab.

The survey, conducted across government and aided schools, and anganwadi centres, screened 13.3 lakh children aged 0 to 18 years over 12 months, ending January 2025.

The screenings under the programme are aimed at catching early signs of health issues such as birth defects, diseases, nutritional deficiencies and developmental delays.

Acute malnutrition is a condition where children are underweight as compared to their height, indicating a lack of healthy body mass.

According to the data, multipl...