Latest from United News of India
United News of India
40 minutes ago
- Health
- United News of India
28 pc Odisha kids are stunted, 12 pc underweight, reveals Poshan Tracker data
States » East Bhubaneswar, July 23 (UNI) Nearly 28 per cent children under six years of age in Odisha are stunted while 12 per cent are found to be underweight. Similarly 3.21 per cent of children in the 0-5 age group were found to be wasted and 11.63 per cent children underweight, according to Poshan Tracker data for the month of June 2025. Poshan Tracker consists of pregnant women, lactating mothers, children up to 6 years of age and adolescent girls as beneficiaries. It keeps track of intervention to the beneficiaries and their progress is further monitored by Supervisors, CDPOs and DPOs through daily and monthly reports. The levels of underweight and wasting in children as obtained from Poshan Tracker are much less than those projected by NFHS 5, said official sources. As per the World Health Organization's Child Growth Standard, stunting causes irreversible physical and mental damage to children. A stunted child is too short for their age, does not fully develop and stunting reflects chronic under-nutrition during the most critical periods of growth and development in early life, said pediatricians. Similarly, a child is regarded as underweight if they're in the bottom 5th percentile for weight compared to their height. Underweight is not only classified compared to other children their age, but to their height as we clinically look for a child to be proportionate, they said. The child stunting and underweight issues occur to below five years of kids mostly due to malnutrition and lack of unhygienic living conditions, they said adding that nutrient content in food intake could help them recover from these physical deficiencies. UNI XC BM
United News of India
an hour ago
- Politics
- United News of India
LS, RS adjourned till 2 pm amid Opposition ruckus over SIR, other issues
New Delhi, July 23 (UNI) Both Houses of Parliament were today adjourned till 2 pm after Opposition members created a ruckus over Special Intensive Review (SIR) of voters in Bihar and other issues. When the Lok Sabha reconvened at 12 noon, members of the Congress, Samajwadi Party, and other opposition parties started raising slogans 'Save our democracy', demanding the withdrawal of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar. Amid the uproar, Presiding Officer Sandhya Ray called for tabling of the papers in the House. She asked the protesting Opposition members to uphold the dignity and decorum of the House. She added that this is the third consecutive day the proceedings have been disrupted, which is highly inappropriate. The Opposition must be mindful of its role, she said, adding the country is watching the conduct of the Opposition. The Opposition members continued with their protest forcing the Chair to adjourn the House till 2 PM. Earlier, when the House met for the day, Opposition members created a ruckus over the same issue, preventing the question hour from taking place. Due to the uproar by the Opposition over the SIR issue, the proceedings of the House were adjourned till 12 noon. When Speaker Om Birla called for the proceedings of the House, Opposition members started raising slogans and moved near the Speaker's podium, protesting against the ongoing SIR in Bihar. Amid the commotion, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla initiated the question hour and called upon Janata Dal (United) MP Lovely Anand to ask her question. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw responded amid the commotion, but the uproar intensified further. The Speaker strongly objected to the display of placards and warned, 'I want to say again that I will be compelled to take decisive action against those who bring placards into the House." He further asked the agitating members to go back to their seats and allow the House to function. "You will be given ample opportunity to discuss on every issue and every topic". When the sloganeering continued, the Speaker adjourned the House till 12 noon. Meanwhile, in the Rajya Sabha, Opposition members started creating an uproar as soon as the House met. Due to the noise and commotion, nothing could be heard clearly, prompting the presiding chairman, Ghanshyam Tiwari, to adjourn the proceedings until 2 pm. Earlier, when the House met for the day, the Opposition created a ruckus demanding an immediate discussion by suspending all other business on issues such as the Pahalgam terrorist attack, Operation Sindoor, and SIR. As a result, the proceedings were adjourned until 12 PM. UNI RBE PRS
United News of India
2 hours ago
- Politics
- United News of India
SC to form Bench to hear Justice Yashwant Varma's plea against in-house inquiry report
New Delhi, Jul 23 (UNI) The Supreme Court today said it will constitute a bench to hear the petition filed by Justice Yashwant Varma challenging the in-house inquiry committee's report that indicted him in the cash-at-residence case. The matter was mentioned before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and Justices K. Vinod Chandran and Joymalya Bagchi. Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal, Mukul Rohatgi, Rakesh Dwivedi, Sidharth Luthra, Siddharth Aggarwal, along with Advocates George Pothan Poothicote and Manisha Singh, appeared for Justice Varma. 'We have filed the petition on behalf of the Allahabad High Court judge. Some constitutional issues are involved. I request you to constitute a bench as soon as possible,' submitted the counsel team. CJI Gavai responded, 'It may not be proper for me to take up this matter. We will just take a call and constitute a bench.' Justice Varma has also challenged the recommendation made by former Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna to the President and Prime Minister to initiate impeachment proceedings against him. In his petition, he alleged that the in-house inquiry committee made findings without giving him a fair opportunity to respond. The petition states that the committee proceeded in a 'pre-determined fashion' and, even without finding any concrete evidence, merely drew adverse inferences after reversing the burden of proof. It further alleges that the committee failed to notify him of its procedure, denied him an opportunity to provide inputs on evidence collected, examined witnesses in his absence, and provided only paraphrased statements instead of video recordings despite their availability. Additionally, the plea claims that the committee selectively disclosed only incriminating material, ignored and failed to collect relevant exculpatory evidence such as CCTV footage despite repeated requests, denied personal hearings, did not put forth any specific or tentative case to him, and reversed the burden of proof without notice, effectively hindering any meaningful defence. UNI SNG AAB
United News of India
2 hours ago
- Politics
- United News of India
Over 2.2 cr SC students benefited from scholarship schemes in 5 years: Govt
New Delhi, July 23 (UNI) Over 2.2 crore students hailing from the Scheduled Caste category in the country have availed of the Post Matric Scholarship Scheme, while 20,340 students have benefited under the Top-Class Education Scheme over the last five years, the government informed the Rajya Sabha today. Financial assistance and scholarships extended under the PMS and the Top-Class Education Scheme for Scheduled Caste (SC) students have significantly improved access to higher education and contributed to elevating the academic standards among SC communities, said the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale, in a written reply. He said the schemes have not only alleviated the financial burden on beneficiaries but also facilitated greater access to quality education across the country. In the past five years, 2,22,31,139 and 20,340 SC students have benefitted under Post Matric Scholarship Scheme and Top-Class Education Scheme respectively, said the Minister. He noted that these schemes have played a crucial role in enhancing educational opportunities for SC students, thereby promoting socio-economic mobility, expanding career opportunities, and addressing the long-standing issues of economic and social backwardness in these communities. The beneficiaries have pursued higher education in various reputed institutions including IITs, IIMs, IIITs, AIIMSs, NITs, NIFTs, NIDs, IHMs, NLUs, among others. Many have gone on to achieve notable success in their respective domains, the Minister added. UNI XC PRS
United News of India
3 hours ago
- United News of India
10 students injured in road accident in J&K's Baramulla
Srinagar, July 23 (UNI) At least 11 students of Army Goodwill School (AGS) were injured today after a mini bus hired by the school overturned at Ijara Pehlipora in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir. The injured were rushed to the Government Medical College (GMC) Baramulla, said an official. 'All injured students were immediately shifted to Government Medical College (GMC) Baramulla for treatment. Their condition is stated to be stable," he said. Police have taken cognizance of the incident and further investigation is underway. UNI MJR PRS
