-Press release by the Right to Food Campaign Secretariat dated February 23, 2022 * 66 percent respondents said that their income has decreased compared to the pre-pandemic period * 80 percent reported some form of food insecurity, 25 percent reported severe food insecurity * 41 percent said that nutritional quality of their diet deteriorated compared to the pre-pandemic period * 67 percent could not afford cooking gas in the month preceding the survey. * 45...

-Press statement by the National Coalition on the Education Emergency (NCEE) dated February 21, 2022 We note, with deep concern and anguish, the active prevention of muslim women from attending government schools and colleges, on the grounds that they wear the hijab, a headscarf. This move violates not just the fundamental rights of these women, including those of freedom (Article 19, 25) and equality (Article 14), but also their right to...

-The New Indian Express Experts say intervention needed as cases of abuse rose in lockdown CHENNAI: With schools shut and children confined to their houses, activists are concerned about kids’ safety. This is because the number of child sexual harassment cases in Tamil Nadu increased during the previous lockdown. Though schools are closed, teachers should regularly interact with students and enquire about their well-being, these activists say. “The number of sexual harassment cases...

-Down to Earth The children, mostly girls, were rescued from a railway station  Child trafficking has seen a spurt in Odisha — especially in tribal-dominated districts of the state — following the resumption of train services amid the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.  At least 20 adolescents, mostly girls (18) aged 15-17, have been rescued by activists from non-profit Childline Foundation of India (CFI), from Berhampur railway station in Ganjam district from July...

-GaonConnection.com The Indian government is considering ‘mandatory’ food fortification in the country. Several health experts have written to FSSAI calling the decision ‘a blanket approach’ to meet the complexity of malnutrition in the country. Details here. At least 170 people and organisations, including medical experts and nutritionists, have today, on August 2, written a letter to Ashok Kumar Mishra, the assistant director of Food Fortification Resource Centre, department that regulates food under...