NEWSPAPER HEADLINES such as “India to be world’s third largest economy by 2030” are otherwise heartwarming, but the country’s poor health indicators surely dampen the euphoria. Some health indicators are, in fact, so poor that the prediction of an economic glory looks like a bundle of contradictions.
Make Health in India: Reaching a Billion Plus, written by K Srinath Reddy, president of Public Health Foundation of India, is a timely reminder of India’s challenges in the health sector. Reddy was also the chairman of a high-level expert group on health constituted by the erstwhile Planning Commission in 2010. This book, first in the series of Policy Studies, examines the country’s health sector since the 1990s.
It takes off with a chapter on some hard data. Mostly, when data on various health indicators are reported, especially when it shows an improvement in the overall numbers, the point of inter-state variations gets sorely missed. Life expectancy at birth, for instance, improved in India from 59.7 years in 1990 to 70.3 years in 2016. However, women in Uttar Pradesh have 11 years lower life expectancy than their counterparts in Kerala. Similarly, the under-five mortality rate reduced dramatically from 1990 to 2015. But there was a four-fold difference between the highest in Assam and Uttar Pradesh compared to the lowest in Kerala in 2016. Obviously, this calls for a need to push policies that are tailor-made for specific states.
Esta historia es de la edición January 16, 2020 de Down To Earth.
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Esta historia es de la edición January 16, 2020 de Down To Earth.
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A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
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Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
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BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara
