A positive news story on tackling malnutrition in Maharashtra. The tribals should be encouraged to return to their traditional food which was entirely millets based.

Holding her new seven-month baby, Gulab says he is healthy largely due to the "mixture" mother and child have every day.

The mixture was introduced to their diet a year ago by the concerted efforts of the Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation (BAIF) and the Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology (CAPART). It's here that the first war against malnourishment was launched.

Nutritional status of all three—children, teenage girls, women— must be tackled.

There are many Praveens in Thane's tribal belt today. Four years back, the two blocks of Jawhar and Mokhada had one of the highest malnutrition mortality rates (60 deaths for 1,000 infants born). The trend is being reversed slowly, and the template provided could serve as a pointer for other malnutrition afflicted districts in the country.

Weighing In For Life