-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Contrary to the impression of an increased focus on health in the budget for 2018-19, not only has the overall allocation for health gone up only marginally over the revised estimates for the current year, the allocation for Important programmes has actually been slashed. For instance, the allocation for the National Health Mission is down by 2.1% coming down from Rs 31,292 crore to Rs...

-The Hindu Five years after the first canteen came up, the future of the pet project of the then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa hangs in balance due to reports of fall in patronage and mounting losses borne by civic bodies. Budgetary support and operational reforms may be necessary for a course correction Sekar. D was observing this newspaper’s team of reporters as he sat cross-legged on the tiled floor. Then, he abandoned his...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Farmer and food activists have alleged that genetically modified soya bean seeds are being Imported "illegally" for cultivation, in violation of a directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) notification of 2006 that prohibits the Import of GMOs without approval from the genetic engineering appraisal committee (GEAC). Some activists have also found Imported packaged foods containing GM ingredients being sold in departmental stores, one of which is...

-Down to Earth India requires policy changes to make millets an effective tool against malnutrition Nutrient-rich millets, which have been a crucial part of human diet since ancient times, have lost their Importance due to globally commercialised agronomic practices to produce more foodgrains. Though awareness has been growing among the public in the recent years about the health benefits of a millet-based diet—high fibre, low carbohydrate, protein-rich and gluten-free—gaps persist on several...

-The Hindu A large-scale vocational education system would help raise the productivity of individuals and the economy Basic education has slipped in priority in the national policy matrix over the decades. The Census and several other data sets have pointed to various dimensions of the problem. Recently, the Annual Status of Education Report (Rural) 2017, published by a non-governmental organisation and containing data from 26 districts in 24 States, has some national-level...