Stronger action against malnutrition, child marriage proposed in Dakshina Kannada
Chairing a district-level coordination meeting on Thursday, Dr Anand noted that the district lags behind others in implementing the Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) and called for immediate improvement in service delivery. He asked Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs) to ensure that malnourished children—20 identified as severely undernourished—are admitted without delay to Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres (NRCs), with due care to hygiene and nutrition.
'Our goal should be to make Dakshina Kannada a malnutrition-free district,' he asserted. Dr Anand also stressed the need to ensure pre-primary education for children aged 3 to 5 and suggested using women's groups and gram sabhas to identify and enrol out-of-school children.
On the infrastructure front, officials from the Karnataka State Habitat Centre were instructed to expedite Anganwadi building repairs. CDPOs were told to monitor and regularly inspect ongoing works. Two cases of child marriage were reported in the district in the latter half of 2024. Dr Anand urged gram panchayats to hold vigilance meetings to address child marriage and teenage pregnancies, directing that any suspected case be reported to Childline (1098). He also called for awareness drives across community platforms.
Highlighting the 13 dowry-related harassment cases recorded in the same period, Dr Anand asked for legal literacy campaigns in mothers' groups, Stree Shakti meetings, and Child Protection Committee sessions.
He also recommended urgent repair of the District Bal Bhavan building.
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The Hindu
4 days ago
- The Hindu
Heat index: how heat-stressed are you?
Share Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit TAKING ON THE HEAT The maximum temperature on June 9 in Chennai was 36°C. But, high humidity and the kind of work they did compounded the heat stress for many. SATHYA A tiffin cook from central Chennai was exposed to conditions that made it feel like 69°C at 11:30 a.m. that day. 'I don't drink chilled water as I can't afford it… the water I drink is so hot that I would rather bear with the thirst' ANAND A fisherman who set out into the Bay of Bengal from Marina Beach experienced 69°C when he was at sea at 12:56 p.m. that day. 'The heat breaks our nets and makes the already itchy seawater more unbearable.' PRAKASH An industrial steel worker experienced similar discomfort when the heat index was nearly 66°C for him at 3:10 p.m. 'I don't think I need anything more than an occasional glass of water, no?' LEON* Name changed on request. An auto driver who goes around the city hit his peak discomfort at 2:20 p.m. when the heat felt like 56.8°C during one of his afternoon rides. 'Buying cool drinks everyday hurts my income, but I can't do much else to manage the heat. Pazhagi pochu. [I've become used to it]' During the summer and in the days after, these four individuals have often felt dizzy and nauseous and cramped during their job, have dealt with fainting spells, rising heart rates, and even the feeling of their skin burning up. These are symptoms typically experienced by people during heat waves, according to the World Health Organisation. A heat wave is a 'period of unusually high temperatures', measured as a deviation from the normal temperature of a region, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The Hindu Data team used Arduino Nano devices with temperature and humidity sensors to continuously record time-stamped data on an on-device SD card. We handed these devices out to four people from different parts of Chennai. This data allowed us to calculate the heat index, revealing how people from disparate socioeconomic backgrounds experienced heat through the day. The data were collected by our respondents on June 9, 2025. Despite Chennai experiencing light showers at 4 p.m. that day, respondents faced extreme discomfort and humidity. Further, these data were recorded a few weeks past the city's peak summer heat. The heat index indicates how much heat stress you're suffering, not just the air temperature. When the air is hot, your body sweats, and the sweat cools the skin when it evaporates. If the air is also humid, sweat won't evaporate well, so your body will cool more slowly. Thus you will experience more heat stress. The heat index combines temperature and humidity in a formula to estimate this stress-related temperature. For example: 35°C with 85% relative humidity – not uncommon in Chennai – entails a heat index of 60°C. It's just a way to show how heat and humidity together affect your comfort and health. While Chennai officially records a maximum temperature every day, not everyone experiences it the same way. 'Take a room with an air conditioner set to 19 degree celsius. The person sitting in the room will feel the chillness of that temperature, while another person in the same room using the treadmill will feel hot,' explains Vidhya Venugopal, professor and Country Director (NIHR GHRC NCD-EC, India) at Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai. According to Prof. Venugopal, there are two types of heat that influence how temperature is experienced: external or environmental heat and internal or metabolic heat. The intensity of the working class' routines combined with exposure to the sun results in them experiencing drastically higher temperatures. Let's take a closer look at these individuals, a day in their lives, and the heat index recorded in their devices while at work. The heat index to which they're exposed is as if they live through multiple heatwaves every day. Some data may be missing because they accidentally turned off the device. However, we still captured their experiences in these times in our conversations. Scorched kitchens, tiffin served hot TIME 8:55 A.M. TEMP 32°C HEAT INDEX 47 The days start out manageable, as Sathya, the tiffin cook, wakes up to a quiet street in Parry's Corner even before the sun rises, in the last hours before the discomfort begins. At around 9:00 a.m., she is ready with her meat and fish prepared, spices ground, and vegetables chopped. She stands over large cooking utensils that perfume the hot air with steam, meen (fish) curries on the way. Just as Sathya puts her ladle down, the heat and humidity peak. She manages by wiping her face with her saree's pallu (loose end of the saree). Sathya sells her meals, walks across Parry's to buy ingredients for the next day, and sleeps in her shack. Rashes and hot skin forced Sathya to dab herself with water throughout the day. But she no longer feels relief at doing so. 'What do you suggest I do? During these months, the water itself is boiling hot!' Sathya's heat index She accidentally placed the machine near the stove, resulting in abnormally high heat index. 80 70 Sathya's heat index peaked to nearly 69°C at around 11.30 a.m. Heat index 60 50 40 3:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 6:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. 9:00 p.m. 12:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Satya accidentally placed the machine near the burning stove during this period, resulting in abnormally high heat index. 80 70 Sathya's heat index peaked to nearly 69°C at around 11.30 a.m. Heat index 60 50 40 3:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 6:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. 9:00 p.m. 12:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Sathya cooks in her kitchen where the heat index she experiences can go up as high as 69°C, especially when she's next to the stove for hours. Photo credit: Ragu R Sathya has fallen into the habit of using the restroom only twice a day for two reasons: she has to staff her tiffin stall for most of the day, and the public restrooms around her shack are unclean. She contracted a chronic urinary tract infection (UTI) as a result. Prof. Venugopal elaborates on the female experience of heatwave-like conditions. 'Women are more at-risk for developing UTIs. Especially when menstruating, they cannot dispose of their pad or change because of (unclean) toilets.' Cultural norms and societal expectations also play a role in magnifying heat stress among women. 'Generally, women in informal workplaces in India wear a saree and blouse with an inskirt. For the ease of raising their hands, bending, etc. without having to expose their chest or abdomen, they wear a shirt on top of the saree. The multiple layers of clothing trap the heat on their bodies,' she says. No shade on the open sea TIME 9:00 A.M. TEMP 33.7°C HEAT INDEX 43.2 Humidity severely affects Anand, 33, the fisherman. He leaves for the sea at 8:00 a.m. and travels for an hour. He sets his net into the water for about an hour as well. Anand and his colleagues row back to the shore during the hottest part of the day. They need to make sure the fish is covered as often as possible, or they might spoil. A moment of relief from the blinding sun as Chennai's occasional summer showers rain down on Anand. He stores his catch in ice and sells them on the beachside roads. Temperatures rise. His customers complain about the fish not being fresh enough. They haggle, with eventual concessions on both sides. A good day's catch doesn't always mean good money. After about 6 p.m., Anand goes back to his shack. The night is more humid. Anand tells us that the urban slums by the Marina Beach comprise nearly 5,000 families, and about half of them find themselves sleeping outside their homes or quarters at night, as most find it difficult to bear the increased humidity. 'We'd like to do the same, but we can't, for the safety of our baby girl,' he says. Anand's heat index Anand's heat index peaked to 69°C at around 1 p.m. 70 65 60 Heat index 55 50 45 40 35 30 3:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. 12:00 p.m. 11:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. Anand's heat index peaked to 48°C at around 1 p.m. 70 65 60 Heat index 55 50 45 40 35 30 3:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. 12:00 p.m. 11:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. Anand is out on the open sea in the afternoon when the heat index is at its highest. Here, he is mending his nets. Photo credit: Jothi Ramalingam B Anand accidentally turned off the device at night and we weren't able to calculate his heat index data then. He described what it was like later. 'In oorus (localities) near Chennai, the government builds well-ventilated buildings (for fishermen communities) which we don't have here. These would really help us with the storage of nets to prevent this damage as well as during times of surplus. Adhu semma benefita irukkum [That would be very beneficial],' he says. When sweat evaporates, the water molecules enter the air, cooling the body in a process called evaporative cooling. But in coastal areas, the atmosphere is already saturated with evaporated seawater, says Prof. Venugopal, which leaves nowhere for these water molecules to go. This is what makes humidity discomfiting. The urban landscape also hinders cooling in humans and plants alike, says Jagdish Krishnaswamy, the Dean of the School of Environment and Sustainability (SES) at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements, Bengaluru. 'Built surfaces, pavements, buildings, concrete, etc., can absorb and retain a lot of heat. This also leads to much warmer nights,' he says. This is the urban heat island effect: an area where the temperature in a populated city is at least two degrees higher than adjacent suburban or rural areas. Sathya and Anand aren't the only ones dealing with the amalgam of the city's heat and an occupation that amplifies its discomfort. Prakash's job involves polishing steel utensils in an enclosed environment all day, exposed to high temperatures. Photo credit: Jothi Ramalingam B Stifling heat, shining utensils TIME 9:29 A.M. TEMP 34.2°C HEAT INDEX 43.4 At dawn, Prakash, who works at a steelworking facility, takes an auto ride to a corner in Korukkupet. He reaches his workplace and awaits steel utensils he can polish to a gleam. He sits in a dimly lit room with two exhaust fans and piles of paanais (cooking utensils). The temperature is rising. None of the room's occupants addresses discomfort; not everyone has safety gear either. They take breaks when the heat gets particularly unbearable. During his work hours, the temperature peaks at around 3:00 p.m. Even though the device recorded a temperature of less than 40°C, the heat index calculated based on Prakash's heat and humidity level was 66°C, while he was cramped inside a room, polishing steel utensils. Prakash's heat index Prakash's heat index peaked to 66°C in the afternoon 65 60 55 Heat index 50 45 40 6:00 p.m. 10:00 p.m. 12:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m. 12:00 a.m. Prakash's heat index peaked to 66°C in the afternoon 65 60 55 Heat index 50 45 40 6:00 p.m. 10:00 p.m. 12:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m. 12:00 a.m. K Jeeva welds stainless steel utensils with a welding torch inside a manufacturing unit at Korukkupet, Chennai. Photo credit: Jothi Ramalingam B We ask Prakash what he'd like the State to do to help him through extreme heat. 'Juice would be nice,' he says. His boss adds: 'All we want from the government is that they allow us to conduct our business.' Dr. Krishnaswamy explained that even in slightly hot or humid conditions, the materials that make up one's house, such as the tarpaulin over Sathya's head, which is a potent heat-absorber, can magnify the discomfort of its inhabitants. The heat meter never stops TIME 9:00 A.M. TEMP 32°C HEAT INDEX 39.5°C Leon (name changed on request), an auto driver, buys himself a cool drink before he heads out on his daily route around the city. 'Of course buying it hurts my income, but it's my only source of energy during these tiring months,' he says. He has worked a 9-to-5 shift for 15 years, and his experience seeps into his hydration habits. He makes sure to have the recommended three litres of water a day, parking in the shade whenever he can, and applies creams and balms to soothe bouts of vercuru, or heat rashes. And yet he continues to live with the discomfort, unsure of how to get rid of it. After making many attempts to make the summer a bit more bearable, he is now resigned to facing the heat. He says, 'Pazhagi pochu' ['I've become used to it]. He experiences different levels of discomfort in different parts of the city. 'Areas with trees tend to be more bearable (in terms of heat), I prefer doing savaari (rides) in those areas over main roads full of buildings,' he says. Leon's heat index Leon's heat index peaked to 56.8°C during one of his afternoon rides 55 52.5 Heat index 50 47.5 45 Missing data 42.5 40 9:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 9:00 p.m. 11:00 p.m. Leon's heat index peaked to 56.8°C during one of his afternoon rides 55 52.5 Heat index 50 47.5 45 42.5 Missing data 40 9:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 9:00 p.m. 11:00 p.m. Since 2019, the Government of Tamil Nadu has focused on extreme heat by evolving the Tamil Nadu Heat Action Plan. In 2024, Tamil Nadu's State Planning Commission released two reports titled 'Beating The Heat-Tamil Nadu Heat Mitigation Strategy' and the 'Urban heat island-hotspot analysis and mitigation strategies for Tamil Nadu'. These reports highlighted the adverse ecological and economic consequences of heat stress and also proposed recommendations on predicting heat waves earlier, increasing public awareness of how to respond to a heatwave, preparing health systems to manage health conditions, increasing green cover, and improving research on the subject. However, these reports do not adequately address the situational nuances of vulnerable communities, according to Vanessa Peter, the founder of Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC), an NGO. The Tamil Nadu Heat Mitigation Strategy (2024) has identified various strategies to help street vendors, such as heat shelters, provision of ice boxes to prevent spoilage, and access to safe drinking water, but it has not addressed other aspects of heat that affect people like Sathya. 'There is no focus on the access to toilets. Access to safe drinking water and public toilets is equally important, as women vendors point out that they do not drink adequate water because of the non-availability of toilets near their vending spaces,' Ms. Peter says. While Sathya is entitled to these benefits as a street vendor, members of her family who live in 'homeless situations' remain unaddressed in the policy. 'The policy does recognise differential impacts on children, the elderly, pregnant women, and persons with disabilities' but not those living on the streets, says Ms. Peter. Prakash's professional setting exposes him to extreme discomfort. 'The strategy document mentions the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Tamil Nadu) Rules, 2022 that details the various measures that employers must take to ensure workers' health,' Ms. Peter adds. 'The document also emphasises the need to include provisions related to the thermal comfort of workers in indoor and outdoor environments. But the case of Prakash, who works in a private steelworking facility, reveals that there needs to be robust guidelines for private factories and monitoring of the same.' She also says the implementation of the strategy has been less than adequate due to a lack of coordination between various departments responsible. 'The absence of specific guidelines highlighting the roles of the different departments is a challenge for preparing and responding to heat emergencies for the urban homeless,' she says. Ms. Peter also speaks about the mention of the temperature humidity index. For the vulnerable communities, priority actions related to humidity are identified, including changing all asbestos roofs to safe and cool roofing materials, especially focusing on low-income housing. Maintaining thermal comfort in all built environments is prioritised through passive or active cooling techniques in building codes and regulation by urban local bodies (ULBs). Despite these identified strategies, Ms. Peter says that the designs of most of the houses built by the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Board do not have scope for ventilation. 'This strategy does not mention the existing Resilient Urban Design Framework of the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (2020) that has provisions for natural ventilation, daylight access and thermal comfort in the design. The proposed suggestions in this framework have not been implemented in many of the housing projects.' Chandrakant Lahariya, a practising physician in the Centre for Health: The Specialty Practice in New Delhi and an expert in global health, recommends a more practicable approach. 'During heatwaves, local authorities carry out a lot of short-term measures such as advisories to drink more water. However, to make that happen, municipalities and city authorities need to ensure the easy availability of drinking water points, and the availability of ORS powder.' Dr. Lahariya also suggests workplaces allow staggered work timings (wherever possible). Work can be closed during specified peak hours of the day, especially for those who work in the informal sector, open spaces and in direct sun exposure. 'If policymakers and planners remember that a heatwave is an equity issue and that the approach has to be people-centric, half of the task will be done,' he says. Note: We calculated the heat index using the formula developed by the U.S. National Weather Service (NOAA), which factors in air temperature and relative humidity. The IMD then experimentally classifies the resulting temperature into four alert levels for human discomfort: (<35°C), (36-45°C), (46-55°C), and (>55°C).
The Hindu
05-07-2025
- The Hindu
OGH performs over 100 free paediatric kidney surgeries, including on infants as young as six months
The Department of Urology at government-run Osmania General Hospital (OGH) has successfully performed 109 paediatric kidney and urinary tract stone surgeries over the last one-and-a-half-year period, including on infants as young as six months. 'These are surgeries that most often push families into the corporate sector, where each procedure can cost over ₹1 lakh. But at OGH, we are now able to offer the same quality of care at no cost. It is remarkable to see such sophisticated procedures being safely performed even on babies under one year,' said S. Anand, Consultant Urologist, Osmania General Hospital. The hospital's paediatric urology programme has expanded rapidly over the past year, aided by infrastructure upgrades and the acquisition of advanced equipment such as paediatric endoscopes, lasers and laparoscopic tools. 'We are not only catching up with the private sector, we are making this care accessible to the poorest families,' Dr. Anand added. Among the advanced procedures carried out were Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL), Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery (RIRS), and Ureteroscopic Lithotripsy (URSL), all of which are traditionally considered complex and high-risk in very young children. In a standout case, PCNL was successfully performed on a six-month-old baby who recently celebrated his first birthday, doctors said. According to hospital data, the paediatric cases were grouped into three age brackets, 0–5 years, 6–10 years, and 11–17 years and findings showed that minimally invasive stone removal procedures are safe and feasible even in the youngest cohort, provided appropriate instrumentation is used. Dr. Anand highlighted the importance of early diagnosis and intervention. 'With increasing awareness and access, we can prevent complications and long-term kidney damage in children. Our goal is to ensure that no child suffers just because they cannot afford treatment,' he said.
Indian Express
04-07-2025
- Indian Express
Post-HC directions, Chandigarh drafts Rs 10,000 monthly aid scheme for disabled acid attack survivors
In response to the Punjab and Haryana High Court's directions for ensuring meaningful rehabilitation of acid attack survivors, the Chandigarh Administration has submitted that it has framed a scheme, SAHAS – Support and Assistance for Healing Acid Survivors, to provide Rs 10,000 per month as financial aid to survivors who have been rendered disabled. According to the draft scheme, only residents of Chandigarh will be eligible for this aid. The affidavit was filed by Anuradha S Chagti, Secretary (Social Welfare), Women and Child Development Department, stating that the scheme has been finalised and sent for approval to the competent authority. 'The concurrence from the Finance Department has been received and the funds are available under the state budget to extend the necessary support,' the administration said. SAHAS provides for a monthly financial assistance of Rs 10,000 sent to beneficiaries' bank accounts through Aadhaar-based direct benefit transfer (DBT). The affidavit was submitted in response to a contempt petition filed by advocate H C Arora, who had sought implementation of long-pending court directions for victim support. Submitting its response to the court, the administration concluded: 'The deponent has the highest regard for this Hon'ble High Court and cannot ever think of disobeying its orders.' It requested dismissal of the contempt petition in the light of the steps taken. The administration stated that medical aid and interim relief are already available for survivors under an earlier scheme notified by the home department, and SAHAS is an additional initiative. Applicants must provide a disability certificate or a Unique Disability Identity Card (UDID) confirming the disability was caused by an acid attack. Applications can be submitted by the survivor or, in cases of severe disability, by a family member or legal heir. Other required documents include a copy of the FIR, Aadhaar card, proof of residence, bank account details, and an annual life certificate. The administration said all applications will be processed within a month, and the payments will begin from the first day of the following month. The scheme also allows for appeals in case an application is rejected. Aggrieved persons can approach the secretary of the social welfare department for redressal.
