Report Shows Emotional Distress Rising Worldwide
A new report on emotional health shows that worry and stress now affect nearly four in 10 adults worldwide, with emotional distress levels rising sharply over the past decade. The trend must be taken as a warning about systemic neglect by governments and global institutions of emotional health as a pillar of public wellbeing and peace.
National Survey Finds Indian Diets Too Heavy on Refined Carbs
India’s largest-ever nutrition and metabolic health survey has found that 62% of daily calories in Indian diets come from carbohydrates, most of them of poor quality. The finding suggests that the country’s food systems, policies and poverty conditions are pushing people toward diets that increase their risk of diabetes and obesity, not protect against them.
Indian States Are Drowning in Debt, Says CAG Report
A report released by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) shows that India’s states have accumulated around 60 trillion (60 lakh crore) rupees in debt by 2022–23, more than three times what they owed a decade ago. It shows that many states are no longer borrowing mainly for development, but are now depending on loans just to fund their basic governance.
What the Inflation Rate Doesn’t Tell You About Everyday Struggles
The official inflation rate is released every month and is used by policymakers and the media as an indicator of whether life is becoming more expensive for citizens. But a paper by the World Inequality Lab shows that this average number hides big gaps in how rising prices affect people at different income levels, especially the poor.
India Must Strengthen Job Creation, Raghuram Rajan Says
At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025, former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan said while the Indian government is investing in infrastructure, it needs to put more resources into developing human capital through better education and healthcare.
HMPV Virus Mustn’t Shift Focus from Other Healthcare Priorities
News reports on the spread of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) are bringing back memories of the initial alerts regarding COVID-19 a few years ago. While HMPV is not typically fatal, its capacity to infect individuals across all demographics has raised significant public concern. However, it must not become part of a recurring pattern in global health responses: illnesses that also affect the privileged often dominate headlines and governmental priorities, overshadowing diseases that primarily affect marginalised groups and less developed countries.
Why India Has 15 Million Fewer Students in Schools?
India recorded a decline of 15 million students in schools in 2023-2024, compared to the average of the previous years, despite the addition of new institutions, according to data from the Education Ministry, which shows that enrolment dropped from an average of over 263 million to 248 million.
10 Things the Government Says It Can’t Tell You
The central government frequently responded with “no data” to parliamentary questions concerning at least 10 vital issues, according to an analysis by IndiaSpend. Between 2015 and 2023, out of 35 key questions regarding health, education and public safety, the government claimed that data was not maintained in 17 instances.
India’s Shift Away from Rights-Based Welfare State
India appears to be moving from a rights-based welfare model to one where welfare is presented as a benevolent gift from political leaders, with implications for the relationship between the state and its citizens, says Yamini Aiyar, a prominent public policy scholar and former President of the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi, in an interview with the Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI) of the University of Pennsylvania.
Is It Right for India to Export Food Amid Domestic Hunger?
India’s agricultural narrative is marked by contradictions between government claims of self-sufficiency and the harsh realities of hunger and farmer distress. The government’s assertion of surplus and self-sufficiency should be examined against the backdrop of India being home to 270 million hungry people, making it the country with the highest number of undernourished individuals globally, says a report by the media outlet DownToEarth.