Narendra Singh Tomar has issued a call for food safety on the occasion of World Food Safety Day. Tomar, the Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Food Processing Industries in the Union Cabinet, highlighted that “the current global pandemic has drawn our attention to issues related to food security such as sanitation, antimicrobial resistance, climate […]
sanitation
Lack of sanitation behind black fungus?
More than 9,000 cases of mucormycosis — or black fungus — have now been reported in India. Some now speculate that issues such as a lack of sanitation, and unclean oxygen canisters and ventilators could have helped in driving the surge. Mucormycosis has become a major issue across the country in the light of India’s […]
Manual scavenging: A continued scourge
Politician Jaya Bachchan has expressed India’s failure to deal with the practice of manual scavenging “is a pity” in a recent address, drawing attention to the continued scourge of the practice which – while illegal – continues to cost lives. “I cannot understand why we have not yet been able to provide them with protective […]
Behavioural changes a key aspect of Phase-II of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission for improved sanitation
The second phase of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, which is being implemented between 2020-21 and 2024-25 after approval by the Cabinet, is planned to help the country continue to address both sanitary and environmental issues. The Mission is the Narendra Modi administration’s flagship policy when it comes to sanitation and has been a cornerstone of its […]
Child malnutrition: Is India backsliding?
The latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data indicates that child malnutrition remains a major social crisis in India, with the advances made in tackling child malnutrition over the course of recent years coming undone. Results from NFHS-5 paint what Scroll.in aptly describes as “a disconcerting picture.” Multiple states, Scroll.in reports, have seen hard-won gains […]
WASH: WHO, UNICEF issue stark warning about sanitation
Earlier this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF issued a dire warning about the state of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in health facilities. Almost two billion people worldwide rely on healthcare delivery in settings where those services are substandard – or lacking altogether. The global progress report on WASH services in […]
Sustainable sanitation: India’s scorecard
Today marked World Toilet Day. The observance seeks to draw attention to sanitation which has long stood as one of the most pressing challenges India faces when it comes to health and development. In fact, on the Narendra Modi government’s health agenda, sanitation has been a priority. Sustainable sanitation is the need of the hour […]
Poverty: The scourge of the hour
During the COVID-19 pandemic, those living in poverty are among the most vulnerable. In India, where “the proportion of employed population below $1.90 purchasing power parity a day in 2019 is 10.7 percent” according to the Asian Development Bank, it is an issue that must be addressed. Earlier this month, the World Bank warned that […]
World Food Day: An opportunity to reflect
American psychologist Abraham Maslow theorised in 1943 a hierarchy of needs essential to every human. Enshrined in this hierarchy is the need for food. Sustenance is a basic requirement for survival, yet many across the globe – including in India – go without. World Food Day this year comes, as the overwhelming majority of observances […]
Cholera outbreak in Bengaluru?
A potential cholera outbreak has been reported in Bengaluru as hospitals in the Karnataka state capital have witnessed a spate of suspected cases in the last week. Seventeen people are suspected to be infected with the water-borne diarrhoeal disease, with two cases confirmed. As reported in The Hindu, the seventeen suspected and confirmed cases are […]