The second phase of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, which is being implemented between 2020-21 and 2024-25 after approval by the Cabinet, is planned to help the country continue to address both sanitary and environmental issues. The Mission is the Narendra Modi administration’s flagship policy when it comes to sanitation and has been a cornerstone of its […]
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
Sustainable sanitation: India’s scorecard
Today marked World Toilet Day. The observance seeks to draw attention to sanitation which has long stood as one of the most pressing challenges India faces when it comes to health and development. In fact, on the Narendra Modi government’s health agenda, sanitation has been a priority. Sustainable sanitation is the need of the hour […]
The hunger of a nation: What the GHI tells India
India has slipped on the International Food Policy Research Institute’s Global Hunger Index (GHI), ranking 102nd out of 117 countries. Countries are scored by the GHI between zero and 100, with India scoring 30.3 – worse than the score for the South Asia region as a whole, which the GHI puts at 29.3. India fares […]
Proper handwashing matters for your health
Proper handwashing may seem trivial to some, but it is more important than many realise – in schools, in healthcare facilities, and in the home. Global Handwashing Day, observed on October 15th, is an important reminder of an often neglected practice. UNICEF India points out the importance of handwashing, noting its connection with diarrhoea – […]
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan: Five years on
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan – the NDA government’s flagship sanitation scheme – reached its five-year anniversary yesterday, coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the birth of Indian independence figurehead Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. “An ideal village will be so constructed as to lend itself to perfect sanitation,” the Mahatma once reflected. “The cause of many of our […]
Modi 2.0.: Health agenda and expectations
Riding on a saffron surge and charisma of Narendra Modi, the BJP-led NDA government is back with an overwhelming mandate and a full majority in the Lok Sabha, for the second time. The landslide victory not only ensured Modi government to achieve a super-size number of 350 out of 542 seats in the lower house […]
Sanitation workers fight for their lives ahead of elections
![A Dalit man working as a manual scavenger. Image credit: Dalit Network (http://www.dalits.nl/manualscavenging.html) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Manual scavenging concept.](https://healthissuesindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/MANUAL_SCAVENGING_1323873g-150x150.jpg)
“Modi deserves another chance as this country’s head,” a sanitation worker remarked in February. He was responding to a gesture that made headlines because of its unprecedented humility, wherein the Prime Minister washed the feet of five sanitation workers during a visit to the Prayagraj Kumbh Mela. The Prime Minister tweeted that he would “cherish” […]
The Mahatma’s health and the legacy of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi – widely honoured as the Father of the Nation – is often thought of in almost mythic terms: a figure of near universal reverence, internationally celebrated for his dogged struggle for Indian independence; his stand against colonialism; his embrace of pacifism; and denunciation of violence. In recent weeks, details have come to […]