-The Indian Express Anganwadi workers, ASHAs, ANMs and anganwadi supervisors can work together with panchayat members to ensure that all children and mothers are covered with immunisation, antenatal care, maternity benefits and nutrition services On an MGNREGA worksite in Kolar, Karnataka, a male worker came up to me and said that men ought to be paid more than women. I asked him why. “Adhu yaavaagalu hange,” he replied: That was how it...

-The Indian Express Floods might be as old as Assam, but fighting a pandemic in these swirling waters is a whole new challenge for even the most seasoned health worker. GUWAHATI: It is the wind that has helped Pratima Barman plan her day as an accredited social health activist (ASHA) in Assam’s Dibrugarh district for seven years now. In the sapori (island) village where Barman lives, a strong gusty wind, coupled with...

-The Hindu Innovative techniques needed to extend nutrition services in urban areas, it says Poor women in urban areas were shorter, thinner and more anaemic as compared to those from higher wealth categories, according to a new study which calls for policy initiatives to focus on urban poor women to curb malnutrition. The research aims at determining the levels and trends of different forms of malnutrition among urban poor women and look beyond...

-VillageSquare.in Women trained as poshan sakhis, or nutrition friends, advice and help rural women, particularly expectant and lactating mothers, to eat nutritious food and overcome anemia and underweight deliveries Koraput (Odisha): Swapnarani (21), an expectant mother, finishes her household work fast to attend the monthly maitri baithak at her village Bhutanagar in Badakeranga panchayat of Odisha’s Koraput district. Maitri baithak, or friendship meeting, provides space for women to discuss issues that concern...

-The Indian Express The IUCDs assume significance as birth spacing through family planning is considered an important intervention for maternal and neonatal health. Dindori: In early January, a 30-year-old woman gave birth to her second child. But dampening her joy was the realisation that a copper-based intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) had been inserted in her body without her consent. The woman’s account is echoed by many others who allege that the IUCD, commonly...