The pandemic's first wave had a devastating impact on the livelihoods of rural workers in Bihar (including the self-employed) last year, according to a survey based research, jointly done by economists from Centre for Development Economics and Sustainability at Monash University, Australia and the New Delhi-based Institute for Human Development. A recent press note issued by the authors of the study shows that almost 94.4 percent of the households participating...

-Business Standard Oxfam India's inequality report draws attention to the county's unequal healthcare story hit further by Covid-19 When it comes to healthcare, people in general category are better off than Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) households; Hindus are better off than Muslims; the rich do better than the poor; men are better off than women; and the urban population fares better than the rural. These are the findings of Oxfam...

The National Food Security Act 2013 guarantees maternity benefit to the tune of Rs. 6,000/- per child by the Central Government for pregnant women and lactating mothers, barring those who are already availing such benefits while being in regular employment with the Central Government or State Governments or Public Sector Undertakings or under other laws. The NFSA 2013 also legally guarantees free meals for every pregnant woman and lactating mother...

-The Hindu Business Line The breaking down of supply chains during Covid has exposed the perils of centralisation. Giving a boost to boutique shops that promote local, nutritious and sustainable food is the way forward The first Satyagraha of Mahatma Gandhi was from Champaran in April 1917. He protested against the high-handedness of the British who coaxed peasants to cultivate ndigo as a cash-crop and later dictated prices. Farmers starved as food...

-OutlookIndia.com While implementing the Mid Day Meal Scheme, there should be no difference on the issue of whether the child is in a government school or not. The Odisha government has launched several schemes, like the Millets Mission and Iron Plus Initiative, to boost nutrition among the people, especially children and the tribal population, and the state must work to ensure that none is left out from the Poshan Abhiyaan, an...