Some 2.50 lakh people become mentally handicapped in Bangladesh every year for iodine deficiency as the iodisation drive failed to make a dent in the crippling public health hazard. A recent survey by the National Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD) found some 70 per cent of the population iodine-deficient, and 47 per cent of them also have visible and palpable goitre.