New Delhi  - More than 400,000 babies die within 24 hours of their birth in India every year, the highest figure anywhere in the world, an international aid agency said Monday.

India accounts for a fifth of 2 million newborn deaths worldwide but the deaths are preventable since the diseases and infections could be easily treated, a study by Save the Children said.

The charity launched "Everyone," a global campaign focusing on India and 40 countries across the world, that seeks a commitment from individuals to save lives of millions of newborns and children under the age of five.

"Every child - no matter where or to whom they are born - has an equal right and deserves an equal chance to survive. And everyone of us has a moral responsibility to act, and act now," said Thomas Chandy, head of Save the Children in India.

Although India has made significant progress, the newborn death rate of 39 per 1,000 live births and child mortality rate at 72 per 1,000 live births was still "shocking," the study said.

Illnesses such as pneumonia and diarrhoea or the lack of a trained midwife were listed as main reasons behind the deaths.

Save the Children said that in certain areas in India such as the western state of Maharashtra, low-cost home-based child care could reduce neonatal mortality by up to 70 per cent.

"If people understood how affordable and feasible it is to prevent children dying, they would be shocked. There is no real pressure on the government to act largely because of public perceptions that it is too costly to change the reality," Chandy said.

According to a survey conducted by the charity in 14 countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Britain, the US, India and Pakistan, 48 per cent of the respondents thought that it would cost the world an additional 400 billion dollars annually to save the lives of children.

The reality however was that an additional 40 billion dollars - less than half the amount spent on bottled water - is needed globally to save the innocent lives, Chandy said.

While India is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, it ranks 134th of 182 countries in the UNDP Human Development Index.

In a separate study, the UN said a malnutrition crisis poses a challenge to India's human development and economic growth. It estimated that 60 million of the world's 150 million malnourished children were Indian. (dpa)