
Combat rise in childhood obesity, Andhra MP urges Centre
Responding in writing, Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary highlighted the growing issue of childhood obesity, a concern echoed by the Prime Minister during Pariksha Pe Charcha 2025 and Mann Ki Baat. The PM emphasised reducing oil consumption by 10% in daily diets, addressing the shift toward processed foods and sedentary lifestyles.
The Ministry of Education issued an advisory on March 15, urging all schools, including private institutions, to reduce oil usage by 10% in meals to tackle obesity. Schools are encouraged to organize awareness sessions, invite nutritionists, and conduct quizzes on healthy eating.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
Chikungunya cases surge in Telangana; Centre and State report contradictory figures
Telangana has reportedly witnessed an alarming rise in chikungunya cases in the first half of 2025, with the Union government pegging the number at 1,588 cases between January and June, a ninefold rise from 170 cases during the same period in 2024. However, the State health department has contested the figure, calling it inaccurate. The data was shared in Parliament on July 25 by Anupriya Patel, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, in response to a question on the status of vector-borne diseases across the country. According to the Minister's written reply in the Lok Sabha, several States and Union Territories have seen marginal rise in seasonal diseases. 'Cases of other vector-borne diseases marginally increased in some of the States and Union Territories due to enhanced surveillance and paperless reporting on Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) in 2025 as compared to corresponding period in 2024,' the Minister's Lok Sabha response said. But Telangana's Directorate of Public Health (DPH) has raised concerns about the accuracy of the chikungunya numbers cited by the Centre. 'The actual number of cases recorded until June is around 240, and those too have been effectively controlled to prevent any further rise. Regular monitoring is being carried out and the situation remains under control.,' said Amar Singh Naik, Additional Director in DPH. He added, 'The number presented in the Lok Sabha is wrong. We don't know how that data was generated, but it is not consistent with our records.' Meanwhile, the Minister's response stated that proactive steps have been taken in anticipation of seasonal outbreaks with the onset of the monsoon. These include intensified surveillance for early detection of vector-borne diseases, anti-larval operations in mosquito breeding hotspots and awareness campaigns at the community level. States, including Telangana, have been supplied with diagnostic kits, treatment materials and budgetary assistance under the National Health Mission.

The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
Manifold increase in rabies deaths in two years: Centre
Though the number of presumptive cases of human rabies has come down from 4,885 in 2022 to 1,079 in 2024, the number of rabies deaths has increased manifold to 180 in 2024 from 22 in 2022, the Animal Husbandry Ministry informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday (August 5, 2025). In 2024, the highest number of deaths was reported from Tamil Nadu (43), followed by Karnataka (42) and Andhra Pradesh (39). In 2023, 121 people died of rabies and 2,223 presumptive cases were reported. In a written answer to a question by Member of Parliament from Kerala Adoor Prakash, Union Minister of State for Animal Husbandry S.P. Singh Baghel said that municipalities are mandated to control the stray dog population. 'Municipalities are implementing the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme to stabilise the population of stray dogs,' he said, adding that the Animal Birth Control Rules, issued by the Centre, emphasise neutering and anti-rabies vaccination as primary tools for dog population management. ABC programme implementation 'The Central Government and the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) have issued several advisories to ensure effective implementation of the ABC programme. Recently, on July 21, 2025, the Secretaries of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR), and the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) issued a joint advisory to all Chief Secretaries, urging the implementation of the ABC programme and the development of requisite infrastructure,' he said. The Minister added that financial assistance of up to ₹800 per dog and ₹600 per cat is provisioned for Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and local bodies for conducting ABC as per the 2023 Rules. 'A one-time grant of ₹2 crore is provisioned for State-run veterinary hospitals for developing infrastructure, including surgical theatres, kennels, and recovery units,' he said.


Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
Gujarat ranks 3rd in sickle cell disease
Ahmedabad: Data tabled in the Lok Sabha on Aug 1 indicated that Gujarat, with 28,178 identified sickle cell disease patients, has the third-largest patient base in the country. Odisha, with 96,484 cases, leads the table, and is followed by Madhya Pradesh with 30,762 cases, according to data shared by Union health minister J P Nadda in response to a question by Rajkumar Raot. What set Gujarat apart was that 90% of the cases (25,282) were recorded among the scheduled tribes (ST), including those in the particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG) category, which was the highest among Indian states and significantly higher compared to Odisha and Madhya Pradesh, according to the statistics up to the end of July 2025. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad The answer indicated that a total of 77.34 lakh citizens were screened to identify those with the condition. Under the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission (NSCAEM), persons with the condition are provided counselling regarding lifestyle, pre-marriage and pre-natal decisions and nutritional supplements among others. "The condition is marked by abnormal haemoglobin that makes red blood cells rigid and take the shape of a sickle. They often block the blood flow, leading to anaemia," a public health expert said. "Gujarat has recently launched a drive to understand the genetic makeup of the tribal population," the expert added.