India’s malnutrition is back in international news, and for rather intriguing reasons. Some nasty articles have appeared in one of the most prestigious international magazines, the Economist
Girls getting less food than boys was always considered a societal stereotype in India. A study has shown that it is unfortunately true. It has also highlighted a key deficiency in our policy appro
Eastern India, “the world capital of malnutrition”, has reached a make-or-break point in the battle against hunger. For the first time, the National Food Security Act (NFSA) makes it po
Jharkhand has reached a make-or-break point in the battle against hunger. For the first time, the National Food Security Act (NFSA) makes it possible to ensure that no one sleeps on an empty stomac
“Raising of nutritional standards has to be an important aspect of development in India, but improvement in these standards cannot be gauged solely with reference to any particular item o
Food is ready to be served on a plastic sheet laid on the floor. Children and mothers (pregnant and lactating) eagerly wait to get something down in their bellies. But before that begins, anganwadi
The nutrition crisis continues to stare at us, despite the fact that India is the fastest growing large economy today. In running after GDP growth, the human development index
Micronutrient deficiencies, especially Vitamin A and D, are prevalent in India, said a World Bank expert who noted that these deficiencies -- often referred to as ‘hidden hunger’ -- go
The United Nations General Assembly recognized November 20, 1954 as Universal Children’s Day to promote and celebrate the rights of children. On this day in 1959, the UN adopted the Dec
The union cabinet has approved setting up of a National Nutrition Mission (NNM) with a three-year budget of Rs 9,046.17 crore commencing from 2017-18, states a press release of December 1, 2017.
Milk is one liquid that usually moves upwards, at least in economic terms. The poor can’t afford this important source of nutrition. But imagine children getting milk in schools as part of mi
When Bhupen Gurung from the Royal University of Bhutan told the audience at the TERI School of Advanced Studies, New Delhi, about dropping levels of poverty in Bhutan, many public policy academ
India’s mid-day meal (MDM) scheme is the largest school lunch programme in the world, with over 97 million beneficiaries. It aims at improving the nutritional status of children in government
Good nutrition is crucial to individual and national development, and is one critical area where India’s progress is slow even after nearly a half-century of respectable agricultural producti
When Dr Shruti Kamdi (pictured on left), a transfusion specialist at a leading Mumbai hospital, had her first child, she struggled to nurse her baby as she was unable to secrete enough milk. Admitt
The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) norms for THR (take home rations) are constant throughout the complementary feeding age group (6-24 months) and beyond, despite variations in requireme
The Economic Survey, tabled in parliament Friday by minister for finance and corporate affairs Nirmala Sitharaman, devotes a section on what it calls Thalinomics – an attempt to quantify what
One in three children under five years of age in India is stunted and one in five children under five years is wasted. Stunting prevalence of10.1% is higher in rural than in urban areas. India expe
When the whole world is fighting COVID-19, food and nutrition security has become a major issue. The pandemic has aggravated the existing food crisis in India, especially in rural and tribal region
In a first, the Department of Home Science, Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidayalam (Women’s University) Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, recently organized an international webinar on “Nutrition
The most joyous moment of a woman’s life is to breastfeed her baby for the first time. Breast milk is the foundation to build a strong bonding between mother and child and must not be missed
One of the most significant setbacks from the massive upheaval caused by the Covid-19 pandemic is its effect on food and nutrition security. The pandemic has compounded the already rampant social i
With the second wave of Covid-19 hitting migrant labourers hard, a delegation of the Working People’s Charter (WPC) met Maharashtra Food and Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal urging him to se
A long life span free from diseases and disability, the so-called healthy aging, has been a matter of prime interest to humanity. It is widely held that the life expectancy is a function of interpl
On Human Rights day, hundreds of children and their parents took out a demonstration rally to the Block office in Manika of Latehar district to protest against the continued closure of primary scho
On Human Rights day, hundreds of children and their parents took out a demonstration rally to the Block office in Manika of Latehar district to protest against the continued closure of primary scho
Our hearts almost skipped a beat when we heard community health officer (CHO) Dr. Sandeep Kakuste’s success story with baby Pinki Lakhan Patil, who was born underweight in a brick kiln. Pinki
Average life expectancy at birth has been increasing in India over the past half century, along with progress in healthcare facilities. It has gone up from 49.7 during 1970-75 to 69.7 during 2015-1
A series of pre-launch events and initiatives have been organised by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on the MyGov platform in the run-up to the International Year of Millets 2023
Sufficient stocks are available in the central pool to meet the requirement of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and other schemes of the government of India as well as for additional requireme
“Why is the child growing?” is the question that bothers a lot many in the administration. The answer, to be honest, is to be discovered via science, and less via what we call ‘ef
As the UN has declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets, the Indian Army has steered introduction of millets flour in the rations of soldiers. This landmark decision will ensure troops are
The central government will provide free food grains to about 81.35 crore beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for a period of five years with effect from Januar
When I sit and look back at data-driven policy, it makes me content and makes me uncomfortable at the same time. Content? Why? Because data would ultimately help me target the problem in a better m
