Birth Rate is a crude measure of fertility of a population and is a crucial determinant of population growth. It gives the number of live births per thousand population in a given region and year. The Birth Rate at all India level has declined drastically over the last five decades …
Birth registration is a critical first step towards protecting children throughout their lives. Nearly 230 million children under the age of five in the world have not had their births registered. The report presents latest available data and estimates on birth registration in 161 countries. It highlights global and regional …
As Delhi heads for polls, some key issues are agitating the common voter although these may not be felt as much by the city’s well-heeled sections. One such issue is water. According to Census 2011, about a quarter of the city’s 1.67 crore population does not get treated piped water. …
Asking him to reconsider budget cuts for the government’s flagship social sector schemes, including guranted work for people in rural areas under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has written to Finance Minister P Chidambaram expressing concern that the “huge cuts” proposed …
With a ban on bringing in captive elephants from other States in force coupled with the Forest Department putting an end to issuing ownership certificates for elephants, the captive elephant population of the State has plunged from more than 750 three years ago to less that 500 now. While this …
The report warns of emerging epidemics in some countries A significant progress has been seen in a number of countries in Asia and the Pacific in reducing new HIV infections by over 50 per cent since 2001, but the impact appears to be slowing down with overall numbers across the …
Expert panel convenes meet to formulate State’s response to Kasturirangan report Legislators representing constituencies falling within the Western Ghats region in Kerala have reiterated their demand to exempt populated zones from the Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs) demarcated by the Kasturirangan committee on conservation of the Western Ghats. MLAs from Idukki, …
102 vaccination posts have been set up along international borders in the wake of outbreak in Syria All States with international borders have been put on alert to reduce the risk of importation of poliovirus from neighbouring countries in the wake of a polio outbreak in Syria. As many as …
Inaction on climate change would create serious problems for India: Report Unchecked climate change, scientists warn, will slow down economic growth, impact poverty reduction, lower food production and drive up food prices. A leaked copy of the draft report of the Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate …
Nutritional support during treatmentof pulmonary TB recommended Severely undernourished tuberculosis (TB) patients in rural India have twice a higher risk of death, a scientific research study has concluded. The study conducted at Jan Swasthya Sahyog (JSS or Peoples’ Health Support Group), a non-profit voluntary organisation, suggests the need for nutritional …
Doctors of the microbiology department of the Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College (GSVM) confirmed 16 new dengue cases on Monday. With this, the number of dengue cases here has gone up to 547. Dr Atul Grag of GSVM's microbiology department said that among the 16 new cases, seven have …
Priority for Indian manufacturers is quality and not price Nearly 300 organised players in India’s toy industry are witnessing a rise in business following a growing awareness of the ill effects of toxic toys , according to industry players. Multinational company Mattel Toys, which is a dominant player in India, …
Dwarfing the government’s oft-quoted estimate that 20-30% of subsidised grain disbursed to the poor is siphoned away, the farm ministry’s Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) has now pegged the figure much higher at 40.5%. The CACP estimate exposes the dismal progress in improving the targeted public distribution system …
The Environment Ministry has decided to turn approximately 60,000 square kilometres of the Western Ghats across six States into an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), banning mining, quarrying, thermal power plants and polluting industries over the entire range. All other projects would be allowed only with the prior consent of gram …
Crisis to hit 500m even if temp rises by 2 degrees, says study by Potsdam Institute Water scarcity will worsen across the world, and particularly in countries like India, as a result of unchecked climate change. Some 500 million people could be subject to increased water scarcity – even if …
Country’s Hunger Index Has Dropped Three Points, But Stays In ‘Alarming’ Category: Global Hunger Report In a striking irony, the number of hungry people in the world was estimated at 842 million in 2011-13 in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) report released on Monday even as world cereal production was …
To streamline the transport network in urban areas of Himachal Pradesh, the urban development department has mooted a proposal to set up Urban Mobility Transport Authority (UMTA) in the hill state, which would not only suggest ways and means to decongest towns but would also implement new projects like ropeways, …
The central government has sanctioned Rs 1,493 crore for construction of 2,982-km road in the state under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh communicated the Centre's decision to chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday. Ramesh said last year the Centre had sanctioned Rs 2,445.75 …
Global Ministerial meet seeks policy convergence for better food security Union Food Minister K.V. Thomas on Monday told the FAO Committee on World Food Security that India’s new food law would ensure equitable distribution of food grains to all sections. “India’s new Act marks a paradigm shift from the welfare …
It is one report card, Bhopal will feel bad about. The city has shown an alarming rise in cases of mouth cancer with most cases an outcome of tobacco consumption, going by latest report of National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP). Among old NCRP, a network of cancer registries in India, …
Even before it is put into execution, UPA-II’s big-ticket scheme, the Food Security Bill, seems to be facing hurdles from within. The Congress-led government in Maharashtra has told the Centre that it is already facing a severe financial crunch and is capable of footing only 10% of the Rs-600 crore …
