A national exigency called hunger
The country is dreaming of becoming world super power under the able leadership of Prime Minister Modi. In keeping with this dream, the country often credits itself with economic and technological progress and releases data to support that claim too. The country dreams of roaming the surface of the moon and living on Mars. Yet, amidst all this, the reality that often hurts the dreams is that of millions of countrymen going without food. We may have got political freedom, but freedom from hunger is still a farfetched dream. Government data says more than 50% of the people suffer from malnutrition today.
According to the economic survey of 2017-18, malnutrition of mothers and children is the biggest challenge India is facing currently. Shortage in supply of nutritious food, malnourishment and unhealthy food habits, insufficient consumption of water for drinking, lack of hygiene and inadequate health services are contributing factors to this menace which leads to three out of ten children suffering through their lives. Malnutrition causes irreversible damage to children. It ruins their childhood. It affects their physical and mental health. Most children suffer from malnutrition even before they are born because of the lack of proper nutrition and attention given to pregnant mothers. Nearly 20% of children are born with less than average bodyweight. About 90% of the brain development happens in the first two years of their birth. Malnourishment leads to complicated health conditions of children, including insufficient brain development and turns them into victims of early setting in of diabetes and cardiac problems. With increase in physically unfit generation, the productivity of the country gets affected too.
Over 33.6% women in the country suffer from long term malnourishment. About 55% of them are anemic. Hence, more than half of the women are having babies under most dangerous conditions. Due to anemia, India’s overall loss to GDP stands at Rs 1.5 lakh crore. This figure is more than three times of the budgetary allocation to health in 2017-18. A family of a newborn is eligible to get nutritious food for the baby worth up to Rs 10,332 up to 45 months since the birth of the child.
But the scheme is suffering a massive blow due to corruption and adultrated food supply for this purpose. The recent amendment to National Maternity Benefit Scheme ensures postpartum women are given six months paid maternity leave. Crores of women working in unorganized and private sectors are kept away from this facility. More than 95% of women working in private and unorganized sectors are from very poor background and they have to return to work within a short span of time. Hence they can neither nourish their bodies that have gone through most challenging time, nor can they feed their children for six months since they fear loss of their jobs if they do not return to work as soon as possible.
One stark reality we need to understand is about the link between malnutrition and our socio-economic problems. We are trying to tackle challenges such as TB etc in isolation, as health challenges and we try to find remedies. But we fail to see the link between TB and malnutrition, as a socio-economic challenge. Hunger is the mother of all diseases in our nation. According to World Health Organisation, Diarrohea leads to worms. Consumption of polluted drinking water, living in unhygienic surroundings and unhealthy lifestyle lead to health problems. These health challenges affect the growth of children at a very young age and then the body loses its ability to extract and use nutrition from foods in later stages of life.
Indian body composition is smaller than that of the poorest countries that consume least calories of foods in the world. Children fall easy prey to diseases when they go without nutrition. And when ill, does any child have the capacity to study?
We hope to see the best of scientists and sportspersons being born in India. We hope to see our young men and women succeed. But, when children are born malnourished, and continue to experience challenges of malnourishment, how do we expect them to succeed?
Government says population is the reason for poverty. What we are unable to see is the inefficient distribution of resources that lead to such conditions worsen. With note ban and control on sale of cattle is leading to increased hunger indices.
Our politicians have hundreds and thousands of crores to buy another politician when they want to come together and enjoy the perks of power. At the same time, a common person standing in the queue returns home empty handed. The recent economic crises has pushed the poor further into poverty and the rich into affluence. If this continues, the country may have to declare hunger as a national exigency soon!
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London, Nov 22: A bomb disposal squad deployed as a “precaution” to the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport concluded an investigation into a "security incident" on Friday after making a “suspect package” safe.
The South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest airport after Heathrow, which was briefly shut owing to the incident reopened following the incident.
The Gatwick is around 45 km south of London.
Two people detained during the enquiries have since been allowed to continue their journey as the airport was opened.
“Police have concluded their investigation into a report of a suspect package at Gatwick Airport. Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team made the package safe, and the airport has been handed back to its operator,” Sussex Police said in an updated statement.
“Two people detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys. There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel,” the statement added.
Earlier on Friday, the incident caused severe disruption at the busy airport’s South Terminal, while the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport remained unaffected.
“Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20 am on Friday (November 22) following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage,” a Sussex Police statement said.
“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with. As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport. This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible,” it said.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of frustrated travellers being moved away from the terminal building.
Gatwick said it was working hard to resolve the issue.
“A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident," the airport said in a social media post.
“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Train and bus services that serve the airport were also impacted while the police carried out their inquiries.
In an unrelated incident in south London on Friday morning, the US Embassy area in Nine Elms by the River Thames was the scene of a controlled explosion by Scotland Yard dealing with what they believe may have been a “hoax device”.
“We can confirm the 'loud bang' reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers,” the Metropolitan Police said in a post on X.
“Initial indications are that the item was a hoax device. An investigation will now follow. Some cordons will remain in place for the time being but the majority of the police response will now be stood down,” it added.
