-Outlook Experts say Zero Budget Natural Farming defies logic that it will involve no financial cost. Imbalance between yield and price could even lead to food shortage in future Au Naturel * Zero-budget natural farming relies on savings on chemical inputs like fertilisers and insecticides * As health consciousness grows, there’s a demand for natural/organic produce * ZBNF relies on cow dung and urine for seed treatment, improving yield * Scientists fear ZBNF may lead to...

-The Hindu Business Line The death of two children killed for relieving themselves in public just days before India was declared ‘open defecation free’ by the Prime Minister highlights the chasm between targets and solutions India was declared ‘open defecation free’ on October 2, Mahatma Gandhi’s 150-year birth anniversary. A target-oriented sanitation drive, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA) was a signature programme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s FIRst term in office. Rapid...

-The Indian Express The survey, conducted between 2016 and 2018, also found that 24 per cent of adolescents were thin for their age, 4-8 per cent of adolescents were overweight or obese, 6 per cent of adolescents were overweight, and 2 per cent had abdominal obesity. A nutrition survey by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has found that 35 per cent of children under the age of 5 years...

-The Telegraph There is an urgent need to address chronic delays in Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana payments Malti Devi (name changed) gave birth to her FIRst child in May 2017. She submitted an application for the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana three months later. The PMMVY is a Centrally-sponsored conditional cash transfer scheme that guarantees women Rs 5,000 for their FIRst live birth. This amount is disbursed in three instalments during...

-The Hindu Breastfeeding is inversely proportional to household wealth and other factors, says study. Malnutrition among children in urban India is characterised by relatively poor levels of breastfeeding, higher prevalence of iron and Vitamin D deficiency as well as obesity due to long commute by working mothers, prosperity and lifestyle patterns, while rural parts of the country see higher percentage of children suffering from stunting, underweight and wasting and lower consumption of...