-The Indian Express The state must prioritise removing malnutrition, give uncompromising priority to improving primary health infrastructure In 1947, post-colonial India set off with the ambition of building a modern state on the principles of equality where citizens, by virtue of their birth in the country, would be entitled to a life of dignity. While the Constitution provided the rights to life, liberty, nutritional standards and maternity care, it did not explicitly...

-PTI/ Livemint.com WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan said many countries around the world are waiting for the distribution to happen as they have been watching vaccination programmes beginning and scaling in high-income countries Hyderabad: The first shipment from India under COVAX, the global initiative to ensure rapid and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries, is likely to roll out this week, WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan said on Monday. "Not...

School meals ensure nutrition for millions of vulnerable children across the world. Almost 370 million children worldwide are covered by school feeding programmes. While 100 million school children benefitted from the noon meal scheme in India prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, countries like Brazil (48 million), China (44 million), South Africa (9 million) and Nigeria (9 million) too run similar programmes for school children. However, an estimated 39 billion in-school...

-PTI/ The Hindu The report tabled in the Lok Sabha said the Health ministry has not paid enough attention to the transportation problems faced by pregnant women, particularly when the labour pain starts. A standing committee report to examine “Women’s Healthcare: Policy Options” highlighted the issue of unavailability of easy transportation of expectant mothers to the nearest delivery points still remains a arduous task in view of difficult geographical terrains. The report tabled...

-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,...