-The Hindu For vegetarians, a south Indian diet enables higher absorption of iron, says study Bengaluru: Those with a weakness for south Indian food now have a legitimate reason to gorge themselves on idlis and dosas: these dishes help in the body’s absorption of minerals such as iron and zinc. A large number of Indians have trouble absorbing iron and zinc from food. While this is mainly due to vegetarian food habits, south...

Confirming the rising trend of prevalence of wasting (i.e. too thin for height) among children below 5 years of age, a new report on the state of global hunger shows that during 2017 India ranks 100th among 119 countries in terms of Global Hunger Index (GHI). Entitled 2017 Global Hunger Index: The Inequalities of Hunger, the report indicates that the neighbouring countries such as China (GHI score: 7.5; GHI rank:...

-TheWire.in ICDS plays a vital role in a country which is home to 190 million undernourished people – the highest in the world. Is the government of India planning to dismantle the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme, the world’s largest food security project? The ICDS is a unique outreach programme to meet the nutritional needs of ten crore Indian children under the age of six and to improve the nutrition levels of...

-The Hindu Odisha tops in intake of greens, Kerala consumes the least; sweet consumption high in M.P., says study A nation-wide study carried out by the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau (NNMB) to assess urban nutrition shows not only a great diversity in food consumption in 16 States in the country, but also that Indians consume far less than the recommended quantum of several micro-nutrients and vital vitamins. Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported...

-Press release from NREGA Sangharsh Morcha For the past five days, hundreds of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) workers and their supporters from across the country have gathered at Jantar Mantar to demand the implementation of the employment guarantee act in letter and spirit. They are demanding a substantial increase in the NREGA wages, timely payment of wages, implementation of local plans, expansion of existing entitlements and adequate budget for...