-The Telegraph New Delhi: Doctors have expressed surprise at Union minister Maneka Gandhi's idea of mandatory prenatal sex disclosure with some medics warning that such a move could lead to a steep increase in the abortions of female foetuses and legitimise a criminal practice. They say the idea to reveal the sex of an unborn foetus to every woman presumably to track any attempt to selectively abort female foetuses would provide couples...

-The Times of India New Delhi: Worried that the recent gang-rape and suicide of an ASHA worker in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh can jeopardise its ambitious health plans, the Centre has asked states to take proactive measures to ensure security of healthcare workers. The health ministry has suggested states to set up a complaint committee or cell headed by a woman as per Vishaka guidelines in every healthcare facility. Besides, states have also...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government wants to fortify not just mid-day meals in school for children, but many other staples that Indians eat. The government, after proposing to supply fortified ready-to-eat packaged meals for children in anganwadi centres, is now mulling a plan for mass fortification of several staple food items on the lines of iodine-fortified salt. Prime Minister Modi last week heard a presentation from secretaries of the ministries...

-Livemint.com Haryana’s sex ratio at birth is at 903, a first in a decade, but the scheme has made no impact in certain parts Rohtak (Haryana): On 22 January last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (save the daughter, educate the daughter) campaign to improve India’s child sex ratio and promote gender equality. Appropriately enough, he flagged off the campaign in Panipat, Haryana, which had the worst...

-Livemint.com National Family Health Survey finds child malnutrition, maternal mortality rates have declined significantly in the 13 states including in Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal New Delhi: A large part of India has shown substantial improvement in health of its citizens over the past decade, a new government survey says. Results from the first phase of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) 2015-16 show that child malnutrition, as well as...