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Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
CPM accuses Union govt of neglecting working class, favouring corporates
Mysuru: CPM state executive secretary U Basavaraj on Sunday accused the Union govt of adopting pro-corporate friendly policies, neglecting the interests of farmers, labourers, and other working-class people in the nation. The Union govt is giving a red carpet welcome to corporate houses, while the common people were affected by inflation and the rise in prices of essential commodities, he stated. He was addressing a rally organised by the district unit of CPM at Gandhi Square in the city. He said that even though the Union govt mobilised over Rs 50 lakh crore revenue every year from the states, with Karnataka contributing Rs 4 lakh crore in the form of tax, the Union govt has failed to protect the interest of the working class to curb inflation. He accused the Union govt of giving a red carpet welcome to corporate houses to loot the forest and mining resources of the nation when the common people were affected by inflation. Basavaraj also stated that even though the Union govt is distributing free ration to the poor under the public distribution system to over 80 crore people, people are dying from hunger. India ranked 105th in the Global Hunger Index, he stated, adding that still 45%t of the population are unemployed. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Pune: Unsold Furniture Liquidation 2024 (Prices May Surprise You) Unsold Furniture | Search Ads Learn More Undo The income gap between the rich and poor has increased at an alarming rate every year. If 10% of the population owns 80% of the resources, while 90% of the population owns only 10% of the property, he said. State executive committee member HS Sunand asked the Union govt to eliminate cross-border terrorism and applauded soldiers for safeguarding the nation. Poor people were affected by inflation. Instead of resolving such genuine issues, the govt is raking up emotive issues to cover their failures, she stated. District CPM secretary Jagadeesh Soorya urged the govt to strengthen govt-run institutions, schools, and public sector banks, besides initiating measures to prevent farmer suicides, and to open govt-run engineering, law colleges, and Mohalla clinics.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
CPI(M) flays economic priorities of State, Centre
Senior leaders of the CPI(M) flayed the State and the Central government for extending a red carpet to the corporates with the taxpayers' money while the burden of price rise was being borne by the poor. The CPI(M) leader U. Basavaraj said that though the people of the country pay ₹50 lakh crore in taxes to the Centre and ₹3-₹4 lakh crore is received by the State government, the amount was being used to benefit the corporate companies. He was speaking at the concluding programme of the political campaign organised by the CPI(M) Mysuru district committee at Gandhi Square here. Mr. Basavaraju said India ranked 105th in the Global Hunger Index, and the unemployment rate was high; hence, the claim that it was the fourth-largest economy was questionable. Though nearly 70 crore people were receiving rations through the public distribution system and nutritious food was being distributed through the Anganwadis, the scourge of hunger and malnutrition persisted and put a question mark on the claims of being the fourth largest economy, said Mr. Basavaraju. The economic policies of the Central and State governments also received flak, and the CPI(M) wondered whether the two were working for the corporates or the economically impoverished section of the population. District secretary Jagadeesh Surya said that no project has been introduced in the district for job creation. There is neither a government law college nor an engineering college in the district, and no government seems to be concerned about it, he added. The district ranks second in the State in terms of farmer suicides, but the State and Central governments are not focusing on improving farmers' lives here, he said. Mr. Jagadish Surya urged the government to establish ward-level clinics and strengthen primary health centres in the district. He also demanded that farmers cultivating gomala (common) and forest lands be issued cultivation rights. Homage was also paid to the former Chief Minister of Kerala V.S. Achuthanandan who died recently.
Indian Express
7 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
For women, nutrition is not just about food but a socio-cultural construct
— Rituparna Patgiri Post-independent India has faced a triple crisis of nutrition – undernutrition, overnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. As per the Global Hunger Index (2020), India's position is 94 out of 107 countries. The Global Nutrition Report in 2020 also underlined that India is most likely to miss global nutrition targets by 2025. These findings seem to align with the data released from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) conducted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (2019-21). The survey reported that among children under the age of five, 35.5 per cent are stunted, 19.3 per cent are wasted, and 32.1 per cent are underweight. Although these figures have improved from the last round of survey conducted in NFHS-4 in 2015-16, nutrition still remains a concern. When it comes to women, nutrition is not just about food, but a socio-cultural construct. Let's explore. The nutritional burden also has a gendered dimension. According to the NFHS-5 data, as many as 57 per cent of women aged 15-49 were anaemic in 2019-21, compared to 53 per cent in 2015-16. Nutrition is not just about food, but a socio-cultural construct. It is influenced by structural inequalities, gendered roles, household food distribution and cultural factors. Notably, the prevalence of anaemia (57.2 per cent) was higher in non-pregnant women than in pregnant women (52.2 per cent). It shows that women, especially non-pregnant women, rarely receive special care and nutritious food sources. For instance, anthropological studies – such as Leela Dube's Women and Kinship: Perspectives on Gender in South and South-East Asia (1997) – show that customarily girls are denied milk except in the educated, upper middle-class. Most are entitled to milk only in special circumstances such as lactation, illness and pregnancy. The neglect of menstrual health further leads to worsening rates of anemia, with 59 per cent of adolescent girls (15-19 years) found to be anemic, which poses increased risks during pregnancy and childbirth. Apart from anemia, 33.1 per cent of girls under the age of five are stunted. This is a result of several factors, including anemic and malnourished mothers as well as less care after childbirth because of being born as girls. While wasting and underweight figures are similar for girls and boys, girls receive less health care and nutrition during illness. Moreover, despite being responsible for managing the nutritional needs of their families, women are often the ones who eat less and last. These trends highlight inter-generational nutritional inequality. Children born to thin mothers, whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is less than 18.5 kg/m2 have higher probability of being stunted, wasted, and underweight. Out of 28 states, the prevalence of anemia rose in 21. West Bengal and Gujarat have the highest rates. Assam, Chhattisgarh and Tripura experienced an increase by 15 percentage points, while Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Telangana recorded a rise of less than 5 percentage points. Women from Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities face a higher risk of anemia, indicating a lack of access to healthcare. In comparison, women with higher education levels are less likely to be anemic, suggesting that education improves nutrition knowledge and leads to better dietary practices. It needs to be underlined here that Kerala stands out for its relatively nutritional equity across gender due to high female literacy, late marriage and good reach of the public distribution system. Stunting in children decreases with improvements in mothers' educational and nutritional status. Contrastingly, children born to mothers with no access to schooling and in the lowest wealth percentile are more undernourished. In this context, Sikkim is another notable state as it has focused on improving women's access to education and healthcare facilities. As such, Sikkim fares second best after Mizoram in the North-East with respect to gender and nutrition as per the NFHS-5 data. These numbers indicate the need for good governance and best practices at the local level to improve nutritional status, particularly of women. Another emerging nutritional issue among Indian women is overnutrition. For the first time in the country's recorded history, there are more overnourished than undernourished women in the 15-49 year age group. Currently, 41.3 per cent of women are overweight or obese. This trend is more pronounced in urban areas where 33 per cent of women are overnourished compared to 21 per cent in rural areas. As a result, women face a heightened risk of contracting non-communicable diseases like diabetes and hypertension. Most often, women are the primary caregivers and have limited or no time for self-care, health management, and physical activity. In addition to this, women also have micronutrient deficiency as their diets often lack diversity, with protein intake missing significantly. The cultural norm of eating less and often eating last further impacts women's nutritional well-being. The Indian Constitution recognises the Right to Food – access to adequate food and nutrition for every citizen – under the Right to Life as per Article 21. Article 47 of the Directive Principles of State Policy also places a duty on the state to raise the level of nutrition and public health. India has also committed to end hunger as per Goal 2 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. To address such concerns, the government has launched a number of policies and schemes. These include the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) launched in 1975, the National Nutrition Policy (1993), National Health Policy (2017), the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) (2017) and Poshan 2.0 launched in 2021. While most of the earlier initiatives focused on children, pregnant and lactating women, Poshan 2.0 expanded the lens to adolescent girls. Nutritional status is not determined only during pregnancy and childbirth. Improving nutrition and health requires a longitudinal approach. Poshan 2.0 also advocates for the use of technology, real-time monitoring using a digital tracking app (Poshan tracker) and behavioural change to improve nutrition. While India has a significant number of policies and schemes, their implementation and performance vary across states and districts. Grassroot service providers like the Anganwadi workers are underpaid and overworked. Some studies also noted that at times, they also have to provide supplementary food items and take home ration (THR) packets from their own pockets. These factors demotivate them and affect the adequate delivery of childcare and nutritional services. Nutrition is also connected with issues of social justice and healthcare and requires coordinated actions across multiple sectors and departments. While India has so far focused on undernutrition, there is now an emerging need to address the issue of overnutrition too. Adequately expanding the ambit of policymaking would help combat obesity and non-communicable diseases. State-led initiatives, such as mid-day meals, THR packets, could incorporate more healthy and diverse diets. Promoting nutrition-sensitive agricultural practices and building private-public partnerships to deliver nutritional services would also help expand the reach and quality of nutritional services. Having a multi-disciplinary approach to nutritional policies by involving economists, sociologists, policy makers and nutritionists, and, more importantly, women representatives would also help them become more socially effective. Nutrition is not just about food, but a socio-cultural construct. Comment. The Indian Constitution recognises the Right to Food. How do you see this in the context of the cultural norm of women eating less and often eating last? How does the nutritional status of women affect intergenerational health outcomes, particularly in children under five? Do you think that overnutrition among urban women complicates the policy focus on undernutrition? Why and what could be the possible ways to address this? There are noted variations in state-level performance with regard to women's nutritional status. What does this say about the role of governance and socio-cultural context in improving gendered nutrition outcomes? (Rituparna Patgiri is an Assistant Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati.) Share your thoughts and ideas on UPSC Special articles with Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.
Time of India
28-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Policies of Centre not beneficial to people: AIBEA chief
Mangaluru: All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) general secretary CH Venkatachalam said the policies being pursued by the central govt are not beneficial to the country and its people. Speaking at the 26th All India Conference of the All India Karnataka Bank Employees' Association (AIKBEA) at the Sanghaniketan here on Saturday, he said: "Whether certain policies being pursued by, not only this govt, but successive govts, are beneficial to the majority of people? In many indexes like the Global Hunger Index, India is at the bottom. We claim that we are progressing and are the fastest developing economy, and speak of Amrit Kaal, but while many enjoy Amrit, others are deprived of it. " Stating that the Constitution's core values are equality, fraternity, and justice, Venkatachalam said various reports indicate India is home to a large number of poor people. He questioned the logic of a section of society enjoying everything while others are deprived of the same. On work-life balance, he criticised leaders who are in favour of 70 to 90 hours of work a week. Lauding Karnataka Bank as a people's bank, Venkatachalam said customer service is important. He noted that banking is crucial for development in any developing country. Recalling AIBEA's contributions to the banking sector, he mentioned the amendment to Section 45 of the Banking Regulation Act. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) may consider a moratorium on a bank if it is not doing well and merge that bank with another bank. Earlier, banking services were available only for privileged people, he said. "The exploitation of bank employees should be prevented. AIBEA, founded 80 years ago, will ensure that your job is secure. We have to have a strong union, and AIBEA is committed to that purpose. Your problems will be taken care of by the union, and you take care of the union," he added. Karnataka Bank managing director and CEO Srikrishnan H and others were present. AIKBEA president Poornima P Rao presided.
The Hindu
28-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
‘Bank employees need to brace with changing banking landscape'
Calling upon his bank employees to brace with the changing banking landscape, Karnataka Bank Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Srikrishnan Hari Hara Sarma on Saturday said employees should adapt to the change and outperform in the banking sector. Speaking on the inaugural day of the two-day conference of the All India Karnataka Bank Employees Association, Mr. Sarma said many fintech companies were now entering banking sector. 'Banking is all about risk management. We need to adapt to technology, compete and outperform them (fintech operated banks).' The Karnataka Bank, Mr. Sarma said, has adopted digitalisation, which has changed banking to a large extent. Bank accounts were now opened digitally. Banking services were reaching customers directly through mobile phone, tabs, and laptop. Many banking processes have now gone background. It is necessary for employees, the human asset of the bank, to rally behind the institution to reach greater heights, he said. Last couple of years, Mr. Sarma said, the bank has gone to accommodate requests of transfer of employees within branches in a city. The bank has made recruitment more transparent. Measures were being taken to upskill employees. Like his predecessors, he has continued the legacy of having good harmony with representatives of the two unions of Karnataka Bank employees, he said. Not beneficial All India Bank Employees Association General Secretary C.H. Venkatachalam said that policies pursued by the Central government were not beneficial to the country and people. Mr. Venkatachalam said policies pursued by the present government and earlier governments were not beneficial to majority of people. Indexes namely Global Hunger Index shows Indian at the bottom. Policies were benefiting a section of the society, while a large section of people were suffering, he said.
