Online teaching was perhaps the most preferred mode (of the policymakers) for imparting education to school children in the last two years when schools faced closures thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was promoted by both the Central and State Governments when mobility almost came to a standstill (or got restricted in comparison to normal times) during the last two years. However, various studies (a list of those studies is...

-The Telegraph There is a perception that the ICMR is bureaucratic and lacks transparency in decision-making on the proposals it receives: Researcher Poor response has hit efforts by India’s apex health research agency to enhance the country’s pool of medical researchers through fellowship training programmes and to bring back Indian researchers from abroad, a Parliamentary panel has noted. The Parliamentary standing committee on health has expressed concern that the Indian Council of Medical...

-The New Indian Express He said that instead of spending on the PLI schemes, the Centre should invest in filling the gaps in our education system, strengthening higher education, skilling, research, and development. Former Governor of Reserve Bank of India, Raghuram Rajan has expressed concern over lack of focus on the learning loss caused due to Covid-19 among school children in the Union Budget, while a significant amount of money was allocated...

-Press statement by the National Coalition on the Education Emergency (NCEE) dated March 17, 2022 The NCEE conducted a rapid households survey of parents in Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu about their children's education during the pandemic and the main finding of this study is that poor parents are desperate about the education future of their children and fully conscious of the devastating toll that prolonged school closure has taken on...

-Pragativadi.com Bhubaneswar: In another significant step towards enhancing nutritional security, Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra directed to promote and popularise jackfruit cultivation in Odisha. The Odisha Chief Secretary gave this direction while presiding over a high-level meeting on production of nutritious fruits held in virtual mode from Lok Seva Bhawan recently wherein Additional Chief Secretary Sanjeeb Chopra outlined the issues for discussion. Mahapatra said, “Jackfruit has high nutritional value, and the agro-climatic conditions...