-Newsclick.in Acute malnutrition in preschool children increased in 341 out of 707 districts across 36 states and UTs between 2016 and 2021. An analysis of district-level data published in a reputed health journal shows a worrying rise in severe wasting in almost half of Indian districts even as the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5 showed only an overall marginal increase in levels of severe acute malnutrition among children in the country. According to...

-TheWire.in * India has reduced open defecation and made some progress to improve sanitation services. But its sanitation system is not yet sustainable and not yet safe. * In Tapoban Basti in Bhubaneswar, some men avoid using the toilet every day to not have to incur the cost of cleaning out the septic tank. * In a basti on the outskirts of Jaipur, a community toilet slowly ran out of water and the...

-The Telegraph Jean Dreze reminds Rameshwar Oran that 'Jharkhand’s children are among the most undernourished in the world' Ranchi: An egg served with every school midday meal will not only help address nutrition issues among children but also improve attendance at schools, development economist Jean Dreze said in a letter to Jharkhand finance minister Rameshwar Oran on Thursday. In the letter, Dreze appealed to the minister “for provision of one egg per day...

-Down to Earth Low returns and high risks from alternative crops among reasons past efforts failed, says report The Commission for Agricultural Cost and Prices (CACP) has recommended promotion of crop diversification, favouring oilseed crops amid the global inflation in oilseeds and vegetable oils prices. Global inflation creates a structural risk as vegetable oils account for about half of India’s agricultural import, subsequently raising the country’s agri-import bill, the commission wrote in its...

Every year in the month of either February or March, the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) announces the notified MGNREGA wage rates (i.e., notified daily wage rates for MGNREGA workers) for various states and Union Territories (UTs) for the upcoming financial year. The MGNREGA rates are notified every year based on the increase in Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labourers (CPI-AL). Like the previous years, in 2021 too, experts and civil...