New Delhi, Nov 30 (IANS) At least 15 percent of women under the age of 50 are obese in India, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad informed parliament Monday.
A Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) survey, carried out at six centres, shows that 12.3 percent urban women and 2.9 percent rural women are obese in India.

“The 2005-06 National Family Health Survey (NFHS) has shown that the obesity levels in women aged 15-49 years has gone up from 11 percent in 1998-99 to 15 percent in 2005-06,” said Azad.

Azad said the government has earmarked a sum of Rs.16.6 billion under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPDCS).