-Down to Earth While total allocations to Union budget 2021-22 saw an increase of 14.5%, the share for children declined by 10.8% compared to 2020 The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has dealt a serious blow to the Indian economy. The economic slowdown has aggravated poverty, disrupted public provisioning for children’s welfare, exacerbated existing gaps in availability, access and utilisation of services. It has multiplied challenges for children from marginalised communities. Healthcare, nutrition,...

-TheWire.in One of the most disturbing effects of the pandemic has been on the nutritional needs of the disadvantaged. The Budget needs to prioritise addressing this issue. The pandemic led disruptions of nutrition services have exacerbated India’s existing burden of undernutrition. Children did not get the mid-day meals and supplementary nutrition under the anganwadi services scheme they were registered under. Critical health services like immunisation, iron-folic acide and calcium supplementation, treatment of...

-Down to Earth As many as 68.4% children and 66.4% women surveyed suffered from anaemia in 2019 Anaemia in children and women worsened in the past half-a-decade across most states and Union territories, according to the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS). As many as 68.4 per cent children and 66.4 per cent women surveyed suffered from anaemia in 2019; 35.7 per cent children and 46.1 per cent women were anaemic in 2016....

-The Indian Express The court was hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Shikha, who was handed over by the Etah CJM to Child Welfare Committee (CWC) on December 7. Lucknow: The Allahabad High Court has observed that a 21-year-old Hindu woman, who is married to a Muslim man, “has a choice to live her life on her own terms”. She has now reunited with her husband. In an order passed on December...

-Factly.in The Phase-1 findings of the 5th edition of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) were recently released. For the first time, the survey captured data on the proportion of the adult population suffering from lifestyle-induced diseases like Diabetes & Hypertension. The data reveals the growing risk of such diseases in India. Here is a detailed review. The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare recently released key findings of  Phase-1 of the...