Budget for children: The story doesn’t change
Crucially missing in the budget is a response from the government in the area of Child Protection
CBSE lists detailed measures to limit junk food in schools
CBSE-affiliated schools will have to ensure that foods such as chips, carbonated beverages and ready-to-eat noodles are not available in …
Will India get freedom from open defecation?
Skyrocketing numbers on government websites project a doubtful picture of what has been achieved in one year. Read our Independence Day special
Order without science
On June 28, 1993, the Supreme Court of the us passed a verdict that tilted the scales of justice in favour of polluters by undermining the role …
Heavy metal
Vaccines with mercury can cause autism, but removing the metal is uneconomical for developing countries such as India
"Asthma afflicts almost every house in Gorai"
Pramod N Bagud (PNB), a pediatrician, and Manoj K Ved (mkv), a general physician, practise in Gorai, an area infamous for a 15-hectare dumpsite …
MP elections: Half glass empty for children in manifestos
Here’s an analysis on how inclusive BJP and Congress are about matters concerning citizens who are supposed to be mature voters once they …
WHO releases policy recommendations to protect children from harmful effects of food marketing
Food marketing involves the use of numerous persuasive techniques to influence children's food attitudes, preferences & consumption
Rising CO2 emissions may increase global iron deficiency risk
The estimated percentages of lost dietary iron under rising CO2 levels range from 1.5 per cent to 5.5 per cent
Food fortification is not magic bullet to fight malnutrition
The Supreme Court order on sourcing natural food locally instead of relying on artificially-fortified commercial products was hailed by experts
Sharp drop in malaria cases, but three million people still at risk: WHO
The fastest rate of decrease in malaria was witnessed in Caucasus and Central Asia, which reported zero cases in 2014
Community-based solutions better for reducing malnutrition, says study
The study assessed the Action Against Malnutrition (AAM) programme in seven tribal blocks of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha.
Umbilical discord
As a result of air pollution in Delhi, strains of toxic metals like lead and cadmium are increasingly finding their way into the womb
Film review Birth In The Squatting Position
Films>> Birth in the Squatting Position by Polymorph Films 1979 (10 mins, Brazil) The business of being born by Abby Epstein (83 mins, USA) …
Why UNICEF wants to raise $255 million this year for eastern, southern Africa
The additional funds will support children with adequate, life-saving nutrition services
Cough syrup can harm children: Experts warn of contamination risks
Toxicologists Winston Morgan and Shazma Bashir unpack the dangers of glycol poisoning
2022 too short, too far: How food systems evolved for the hungry
Down To Earth recaps the primary environment, health and developmental news from 2022
Population populism: How redundant is UP’s two-child policy?
The recent UP Population Policy aims to reduce the state’s current total fertility rate, which is 2.7, and bring it down to 2.1
Highlights of 2016 UNICEF report on the state of the world's children
The UNICEF report, titled The State of the World's Children 2016, makes startling revelations on prevalence of inequity in child health, …
World Health Day: Diabetes, the modern killer
The prevalence of diabetes in adult population has nearly doubled since 1980 rising from 4.7 per cent to 8.5 per cent
Food allergies on the rise
Increase in number of cases reported across the world; prevalence rate in India could be 3 per cent
Vaccine units need booster shots
Health ministry orders them to resume production but offers no action plan
NFHS-5: Child mortality drops, prevalence of malnutrition remains high
Despite the decline, India’s infant mortality rate worst among developing countries
UK may ban junk food ads, should India follow?
Since India lacks regulatory framework for promotion of foods items containing high fat, salt and sugar, experts feel a similar step could prove …
Particularly vulnerable tribes: How a focus on nutrition tipped the health scale for children in remote Odisha
Better funding, community training & cultural context can improve outcomes further, say experts