-The Hindu   ‘No steps taken to prevent such deaths in Attappady Hills' Palakkad: One more infant died at Kottathara Tribal Speciality Hospital on Thursday, taking the number of deaths owing to malnutrition in the last 16 months in the Attappady Hills in Palakkad district of Kerala to 35. The infant, weighing only 1,300 grams, was delivered during the eighth month of pregnancy. The mother was admitted in the hospital three days back...

-The Hindustan Times It now seems increasingly unlikely that Parliament will consider the National Food Security Bill during this budget session. In a land which for centuries suffered devastating famines, where chronic hunger continues to stalk more than 200 million people, and which is home to every third malnourished child on the planet, this would be one more sad betrayal of the country's indigent millions, a reminder of how little they...

-The Hindustan Times Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has aptly described the persistence of mass undernutrition in India as a "national shame". What is even more shameful, however, is the passivity of the government - and of the country - towards this humanitarian emergency. The passivity begins with a reluctance to face the facts. The first step towards more effective nutrition policies in India is regular monitoring of the nutrition status of...

-The Economic Times Successful implementation of the Food Security Bill will leave more savings in the hands of rural and urban below poverty line (BPL) households, enabling them to spend on health, education and nutritious food, a study said on Monday. The implementation of the Food Security Bill could also generate additional savings of around Rs 4,400 this year for every beneficiary household in some states, the report said. The savings would arise...

-The United Nations The United Nations today launched the Zero Hunger Challenge in Asia and the Pacific, calling on governments, farmers, scientists, business, civil society and consumers to work together to end hunger in the region where the majority of the world's undernourished people live. "Sustainable development and inclusive growth will not happen on empty stomachs," said Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the...