KATHMANDU: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has launched the National Nutrition Campaign on Friday.

The campaign has also aimed at assisting the second multi-sectoral nutrition work plan (2018-2022) which is currently being implemented by the National Planning Commission.

The national drive is expected to create healthy and robust human resources with the consumption of nutritious foods.

Both the government and private sectors are collaborating to implement the project which is financially and technically assisted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The first phase of the project is being enforced in State 5.

Owing to the malnutrition, Nepal has been facing stunting problem. In 2001, the stunting was 55 percent among the children below five years, which reduced to 36 percent in 2016. The target is that it would be reduced to 15 percent in 2030.

Similarly, in Nepal, 48 percent of women from 20 to 49 age group get married before 20 years. Among the women giving birth, only 50 percent breastfeed their babies within an hour.