Perennially hungry Chotanagra panchayat, 120km from district headquarters Chaibasa, may be forgiven for rubbing its eyes today in disbelief at the sight of a piping hot lunch. Amid the flurry of goodies — from land to tube well repair kits to tricycles — distributed by Union minister Jairam Ramesh, chief minister Arjun Munda and his deputies, what starving villagers relished most were steamed rice, mashed vegetables and eggs, courtesy the Central...

We see malnutrition as a burden on our conscience, and on our exchequer. We also know it is a daunting task to get rid of child malnutrition. But do we know about the economic benefits on the other side? A new FAO report tells us that India can increase its national income by a massive US$ 28 billion by eliminating child malnutrition. Now that is serious economic gain so read...

Child malnutrition in Gulbarga and Bijapur districts is a blot on Karnataka's image. Ba Ba Basavanna Anganwadi Hogona Avarekaalu Tinnona Ah, Aaa, Ee, Eee, Bariyona Mane Kadege Hogona (Come, Come, Basavanna Let's go to the anganwadi Let us eat beans And write A, B, C, D, And head towards home.) As Savitri Nimbad sings this ditty, the more than 20 children seated in a circle around her repeat each line in shrill voices. Almost all of them are between three and...

They observed a minute’s silence for the 1,180 martyrs of Bodoland movement. That’s routine. They observed a two-minute silence for Bhupen Hazarika. That’s a huge departure from routine. The silence would have been that of a graveyard, but for the whirring of the generator set at one corner of the field at Silikabari, 6km south from where the Absu’s five-day cycle rally covering 10 districts culminated this morning. It was no coincidence...

It has to be but a means to development, not an end in itself Is India doing marvellously well, or is it failing terribly? Depending on whom you speak to, you could pick up either of those answers with some frequency. One story, very popular among a minority but a large enough group—of Indians who are doing very well (and among the media that cater largely to them)—runs something like...