Around 22 districts in rajasthan have been identified as those requiring immediate attention in terms of food security, according to the food security atlas of rural rajasthan released jointly by the Institute of Human Development and the United Nation's World Food Programme (UNWFP) on Friday. The atlas further mentions the need of immediate, intensive intervention in ten out of these 22 districts to improve food and nutrition security. The atlas...

It isn't called God's own country for nothing — going by life expectancy statistics, Kerala will be the best place in India to be born in, followed by Delhi. An average Indian, in 2021, will live four years more than today. But Keralas average will exceed India's by about six years. According to the Union health ministry's latest projections, the life expectancy at birth (LEB) the average number of years...

Minister of state for food and civil supplies Babu Lal Nagar seems to have landed in deeper trouble over alleged corruption in allotment of foodgrain under the public distribution system (PDS). According to sources, the Centre had clearly restrained the food and civil supplies department from distributing wheat allotted under PDS in the form of aata (flour), maida (refined flour) or suji (semolina flour). The department admits this in para-2...

A task force, set up by the agriculture ministry, has recommended a slew of measures to increase India’s stagnating grain production. The panel has advised adoption of new technologies, water conservation and more efficient water management, especially in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh—known as ‘the food bowl of India’. The task force also suggests taking green revolution to the eastern region. It is hopeful that the measures would check...

Despite some movement in primary education, assured rural employment and access to potable water, India continues to lag behind in realising the Millennium Development Goals set for 2015 by the United Nations, says a new report. Persistent inequalities, ineffective delivery of public services, weak accountability systems and gaps in implementing pro-poor policies are major bottlenecks to progress, said the country report on India pertaining to the Millennium Development Goals. It...