-The Telegraph There is no mention of compliance with ‘good manufacturing practices’ or the need to make inspection reports public, leaving the process of regulation vague and dependent on whims of drug inspectors This month, the Union ministry of health published the draft new drugs, medical devices and cosmetics bill to replace the antiquated Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. Yet, most of the draft bill appears to be a copy of the...

With the release of a UNDESA report on the World Population Day this year i.e., July 11, once again the debate on who's responsible for the population growth in India has resurfaced. Titled World Population Prospects 2022, the report states that the global population is expected to touch 8 billion on November 15, 2022, and India is projected to exceed China as the world’s most populous country in 2023.  As soon as...

-IndiaSpend.com The United Nations projects that India's total population will surpass China's much sooner than expected, but even so, data show that India's population is actually declining, says Poonam Muttreja of the Population Foundation of India Mumbai: "What could women do if they wanted fewer children? They were opting for, amongst other things, abortion," says Poonam Muttreja, executive director of the Population Foundation of India. "Abortion rates as a proxy for contraception...

-ThePrint.in The Draft National Policy for Persons with Disabilities lays down specific commitments, but fails to account for three crucial factors. The Draft National Policy for Persons with Disabilities was released by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) last month, under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. It identifies various areas for intervention, such as, early identification and prevention, education, skill development, social security, disaster...

-TheSwaddle.com A position paper drafted by a committee of experts under the National Education Policy recommended removing meat and eggs from the midday meal scheme in schools, which is one of the mainstays of children’s nutrition in the country. The committee made some dubious claims pertaining to lifestyle, genetics, and discrimination in justifying the policy — revealing the inherent casteist roots of food politics in India. The Swaddle’s Rohitha Naraharisetty spoke to...