Assam, the gateway to the North East, continues to be one of the bottom-five states in the country when it comes to health and hygiene. There is a high prevalence of under-nutrition among children, adolescent girls and mothers. The Infant Mortality Rate is high at 48 and 38 per cent of children under five years are stunted, primarily due to poor infant and child feeding practices, besides poor hygiene and sanitation. Fourteen per cent of children suffer from acute malnutrition, with four per cent falling in the category of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM).