Although there is sufficient data and evidence available in the public domain to argue whether there has been halving of poverty between 1990 and 2015, the same cannot be said with conviction about the halving of hunger—one of the targets set under the erstwhile Millennium Development Goals framework (replaced recently by SDGs). This is because the recently released data by the National Family Health Survey-4 (conducted in 2015-16) and the...

-The Hindu The Health Ministry’s plan for a Malaria-free India by 2030 is laudable, but grand pronouncements are meaningless as long as manipulated data distort our knowledge and bad governance impedes genuine attempts to fight the disease This month, the Health Ministry will unveil an ambitious new plan to eliminate Malaria from the country by 2030. A Malaria-free India certainly sounds like a dream, or maybe an early campaign promise: the disease...

-The Times of India CHENNAI: The World Health Organization says close to one in seven people in India are at risk of contracting Malaria. In a report that should worry public health officials, it says India, along with Ethiopia, Pakistan and Indonesia accounts for 80% of all Malaria cases worldwide, but the country allocates the lowest funding for Malaria control in the world. The report, based on the data collated by the National...

-The Hindu A new report lays bare the link between environmental degradation and the health of Indians. The numbers cited are cause for concern “Every poison we put out into the environment comes right back at us, in our air, water and food. These poisons slowly seep into our bodies and take years to show up as cancer or as immune system disorder or as hormonal or reproductive system disorders — affecting...

-The Hindu New Delhi travelled to tribal heartland. The expert group offers hope; an opportunity to ensure that the tribals have a say in policies that are framed for them. Earlier this month, a motley group of 50 academicians, government officials and activists gathered at Shodhgram village in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district. This is an area known for Malaria, malnutrition and Maoists, not necessarily in that order. Everyone left technology behind (mobile phones and...