There needs to be a transformation of India’s agri-food system, ensuring that healthy diets are available and affordable for all. Ending hunger, food insecurity and any form of malnutrition is one of the Sustainable Development Goals set to be realised by 2030. Such a goal is far removed from its realisation given rising conflicts, climate vulnerability and extremes as well as economic slowdown in regions that remain vulnerable and food deficient.
Food insecurity and malnutrition are a manifestation of a lack of access to and the unaffordability of healthy diets. In fact, food sufficiency serves as a pre-requisite to address hunger. But for a nation to be food sufficient, it needs to have an ideal distributional mechanism that ensures universal access to food that is affordable. Further, adequate food does not necessarily imply balanced food intake with all required nutrients to address the concern of malnourishment. Hence, a transformation from a hunger-free environment to a nutritionally compliant one needs to take into account the unaffordability of healthy diets, unhealthy food intakes and their underlying inequalities across the population segment. Read more at
S Irudaya Rajan and U S Mishra
While the BJP and Congress have both made promises to migrants in their respective manifestos, they have overlooked some critical areas.
An election manifesto is a public document outlining a political party’s vision, intention, and promises. For the first time, the BJP and Congress have expressed concern for migrants, in their manifestos for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdowns brought attention to migrants and made them visible to the state and policymakers. There are an estimated 600 million internal migrants in India and they contribute significantly to the economy. Yet, they remain highly vulnerable and disenfranchised. In this context, it is important to examine the promises made by the two main political parties to effectively include the huge migrant population.
S. IRUDAYA RAJAN,KULDEEPSINGH RAJPUT
The Maharashtra government must create a favourable legal environment that protects the rights of and ensures the safety of seasonal migrant workers in the sugar industry. Read more in the link below.
S Irudaya Rajan / April 06, 2023
Marie Percot
Mon Jan 16, 2023 12:00 AM Last update on: Mon Jan 16, 2023 01:35 AM
S. Irudaya Rajan and C.S. Akhil
As much as the country of destination, the country of origin is responsible for the current situation. A regional alliance between South Asian and Gulf countries is the only way to stop the exploitation of low-skilled migrant worker
As India’s fertility rate falls, the window to the window to cash in our demographic dividend is getting shorter. Have we failed to leverage it?
The pandemic has underlined the need for policy interventions.
Urbanisation and the growth of cities in India have been accompanied by pressure on basic infrastructure and services like housing, sanitation and health. The 2011 Census of India reveals that the urban population of the country stood at 31.16 per cent. It indicates that there are about 4.5 lakh houseless families, a total population of 17.73 lakh living without any roof over their heads. Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh are the two states with an acute housing crisis.