-Hindustan Times Many analysts have underlined that the BJP’s below-par performance in the Maharashtra and haryana assembly elections reflected concern, among other factors, about the economy, which slumped to a growth rate of 6% in the three months to June 30, the slowest pace in over six years. The government has already spent nearly 80% of its full-year budget for the flagship rural job guarantee programme, top officials said on Friday,...

-Livemint.com Affluent states like Gujarat are failing to ensure their poorer children have a decent diet and that the richer ones are protected from lifestyle diseases India’s healthiest children live in its north-eastern states and Kerala, an analysis of a new national survey conducted by the government shows, but children in these states are also at greater risk of ‘lifestyle diseases’. However, some of the most affluent states - particularly Gujarat, Maharashtra...

-IndiaSpend.com Jhajjar, haryana: “There are families who keep trying to get a boy child, they have three, four, five daughters but they keep trying in the hope of a son,” said Sunita Devi, the pradhaan (head) of Dhandlan village in haryana’s Jhajjar district. “A boy child continues to be important simply because he is perceived to be an asset, not a burden.” haryana has historically had one of the lowest sex...

-The Hindu There are huge differences in the quality of school education across the country, according to the ranking. There are huge differences in the quality of school education across the country, according to a Niti Aayog ranking released on Monday. Among 20 large States, Kerala was the best performer with a score of 76.6%, while Uttar Pradesh came in last with a score of 36.4%. However, haryana, Assam and Uttar Pradesh showed...

-The Indian Express While we do not question the basic premise that air pollution has adverse health impact, we are sceptical about the figures quoted and the methodology adopted in estimating the cost. In the past three years, several studies have linked air pollution with health effects. For instance, the State of Global Air 2019, published by the Health Effects Institute (HEI), claimed exposure to outdoor and indoor air pollution contributed...