Columns
Profit at the cost of the poor: NITI Aayog’s proposal for public-private partnerships in healthcare
Implementing the Central government’s proposal to privatise district hospitals could be disastrous for India’s poor. The government should learn from successful initiatives in some of the most conflict-affected districts that have strengthened their district hospitals.
Sulakshana Nandi
Banking on Aadhaar
The Aadhaar card is indispensable to claim benefits from government welfare schemes. But, due to incorrect linking of the cards to bank accounts, Aadhaar card holders in rural areas, especially vulnerable women, are running from pillar to post, often for months on end, to rectify the mistakes.
Vipul Kumar Paikra
Rising concern: Rural India faces the double burden of undernutrition and obesity
Rising obesity among rural inhabitants is playing out alongside the alarming story of under-nutrition in the country. The National Family Health Survey-5 figures released in December 2020 show a big spike in obesity in the villages of India.
Patralekha Chatterjee
The Village School: Where local should be vocal
87% of government schools in India are in rural areas. It is time authorities and educators take a deep look at what ails them, and take steps to make education in village schools relevant, contextual and meaningful.
Mainak Roy
Great Expectations: Budget 2021 could have offered more to India’s poor
Close to 85 million people in India stare at poverty. But, social safety schemes haven’t received their due. The current MGNREGA allocation of Rs 73,000 crores is nearly 34% less than the actual expenditure in fiscal 2020-21. The budget for the food subsidy bill is Rs 243,000 crores, much less than what was spent in fiscal 2020-21.
Saksham
How Budget 2021 can boost climate finance and adaptation funds in India
Never has the need been more urgent to focus on climate change in the land, and a lot hinges on Budget 2021 to boost, consolidate and ensure better use of the funds set aside for it.
Shubham Gupta
Rural India: Rising anaemia points to the wider problem of long-term deterioration of India’s human capital
It is not that the NFHS-5 is all doom and gloom. But the nutrition and anaemia indicators are a wake-up call. Anaemia has worsened in several states since 2015-2016. Worryingly, this slide-back happened before the onset of the pandemic, which suggests the current situation is probably worse.
Patralekha Chatterjee
COVID19 and bird flu: If birds drop dead, we are at risk too
This is why governments are now trying to work on One Health – a concept that links ecosystem protection, good animal husbandry practices and public health to create an approach towards healthy Nature and wildlife.
Neha Sinha
Mind The Gap: COVID-19 pandemic has further riven social, economic and gender equations. What will it take to close the gap?
Those who have access to power and resources, in the guise of following protective norms, may demonstrate behaviours, that knowingly or unknowingly, perpetuate bias and prejudice. Institutions need to step in and step up efforts to bridge the inequalities that have become even more glaring in the corona pandemic.
Saksham
Capricious weather events leave an indelible mark on coronavirus-hit 2020
As much as one wishes to forget 2020, it may not be that easy, since many historic weather events have been recorded this year.