As told to Parliament (March 17, 2023): Over 44 million cases of COVID-19 confirmed in India

All that was discussed in the House through the day

India’s sex ratio improves, but 9 million girls went ‘missing’ in last 2 decades to foeticide

Wealth, education and fertility are the key factors behind improvement

Cesarean births on the rise in India but Mizoram, Nagaland defy trend: NFHS-5

C-section births in India increased 4.3% — to 21.5% (NFHS-5) from 17.2% (NFHS-4, 2015-16)   

NFHS-5: No, women don’t outnumber men in India just yet. Here is why

NFHS counts only certain women, who belong to specific demographic categories. There is a bias in it, say experts

Anaemia in women and children on the rise, Assam fares worst: NFHS-5

Men, irrespective of age group, have reported the lowest increase in the incidence of anaemia according to NFHS-5 data

Menstrual Hygiene Day: Why dispelling stigma, promoting hygiene practices need govt intervention

The Rajasthan government allocated Rs 200 crore to Free Medicine Scheme to facilitate dispensation of free sanitary napkins 

COVID-19: How rise in child marriages impacts economy

The risks associated with child marriage do not end with girls married before 18: It leads to an intergenerational cycle of poverty …

Kerala sees sharp fall in sex ratio at birth despite being best in overall category

Bihar and Maharashtra are other major states where sex ratio at birth declined 

Use of contraceptives in Bihar doubles in 5 years: NFHS-5

Female sterilisation was the most common method of contraception in the state

Physical violence during pregnancy high in rural areas: NFHS-5

People living in rural areas must be made aware of the adverse outcomes related to physical violence during pregnancy

Has COVID-19 taken the wind out of the sails of India’s school feeding programme

Though the government issued guidelines to states to provide food to all eligible children in March 2020, implementation has been lax

More Indians covered by health insurance but overall percentage still low: NHFS-5

Andhra Pradesh recorded the highest coverage but a decrease since last survey

What does NFHS-5 tell us about India’s iodine consumption

Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Andhra Pradesh had the lowest consumption of iodized salt in the country 

Marginal improvement in rural women’s education, finds NFHS-5

Social, cultural stigmas reasons for lack of improvement 

Birth, death registration improves across states: NFHS-5

Rate of registration of births was higher among surveyed state, UTs. The lowest was in Nagaland at 73%

More women opting for safe menstrual practices, NFHS-5 data shows

The percentage of women using safe menstrual products highest in Andaman and Nicobar Islands (98.9%); least in Bihar at 58.8%

Access to drinking water, sanitation improve across states, urban-rural divide remains: NFHS-5

Despite progress on sanitation front, several states reported every third or fourth person having no access to improved facilities

How do Indian states handle cancer screening among women? NFHS-5 data reveals

Cervical, oral and breast cancers are prominent among women. In round 1 of NFHS-5, women aged between 30 and 49 years were asked whether they …

Contraceptive use among women rises in western states, Goa tops the charts: NFHS-5 data

Use of injectables and male sterilisation tools continued to be low across all states in the region 

Gender violence drops, but prevalence remains high in bigger states: NFHS-5

Karnataka, Assam and Sikkim registered biggest spike in cases of spousal violence 

Fertility rate down in most states, NFHS-5 finds

Kerala only state to record increase in fertility rate, phase 1 of survey finds; urban women had lower fertility rate than women in rural areas …

Odisha set to introduce locally produced millets into ICDS, PDS

Keonjhar district will introduce ragi for pre-school meals through DMF funds from July 

COVID-19: How community platforms can help stem violence against women

Reduced availability of frontline healthcare workers  is likely, since the entire health system is focused on the novel coronavirus disease (…

Fortified rice scheme to create Rs 3,000-crore market for just five big firms

The Centre’s decision to provide only fortified food items under government schemes rekindles the debate on whether fortification helps …

Early breastfeeding practices in India: Missing link with institutional deliveries

India has increased institutional delivery rates to reduce maternal mortality, neonatal mortality