India in forefront of war against child death

India will be in the forefront of the war against child death, as neonatal mortality in the country accounts for 55 percent of death among children under five, a minister said Thursday. Indian Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad said Thursday that India will do everything that it takes to ensure that no child dies of a cause that can be prevented, according to Indo-Asian News Service. Addressing a meeting on child health in the southern Indian city of Chenna in association with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and United States Agency for International Development (UNSAID), the minister said India has already won the battle against polio. The minister also appealed to the international community to " join hands to collectively bend the curve on child mortality in India." The government plans to cover over 270 million children from birth to 18 years of age for early identification of birth defects, diseases, disabilities, deficiencies and developmental delays, according to the minister.