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Business Standard
14-07-2025
- Health
- Business Standard
Need curbs on MNCs marketing junk food: Milind Deora on oil-sugar directive
In the wake of the Health Ministry's directive on displaying oil and sugar content of snacks in all government canteens, Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora on Monday pitched for uniform regulations across all food categories so that Indian food is "not unfairly targeted". He also said that the Parliamentary Committee on Subordinate Legislation, which he heads, is currently reviewing plans of the country's apex food regulator, FSSAI, to tackle India's growing obesity crisis, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for a healthier nation. "We have unanimously advocated uniform regulations across all food categories, including alcohol, so Indian food isn't unfairly targeted while MNCs continue to market Western junk unchecked (sic)," Deora said in a post on X, referring to ministry's move to "to inform consumers about ingredients in samosas and jalebis". The Union health ministry has urged all ministries, departments and autonomous bodies to display "oil and sugar board" mentioning the sugar and oil content in snacks such as samosa, kachori, french fries, pizzas and vadapav to promote healthy lifestyles and combat obesity and non-communicable diseases. Obesity is a growing concern and is likely to become a major social and economic issue, Deora said as he emphasised on regulation of all foods-- be it Indian or foreign. He also lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for launching an anti-obesity" campaign. In a letter dated June 21, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said that India is witnessing a sharp rise in obesity among both adults and children which significantly raises the risk of non-communicable diseases, affects mental health, mobility and quality of life, and imposes a heavy economic burden through increased healthcare care costs and productivity losses. Early prevention and health promotion are critical to reversing these trends. "At the opening ceremony of the 38th National Games in Dehradun on 28 January 2025, the prime minister invoked the Fit India Campaign and urged citizens to adopt active, healthy lifestyles as part of the broader vision of Swastha Bharat. In his Mann Ki Raat, he called for a 10 per cent reduction in oil consumption," the letter said. In response to this national appeal, and as part of the ministry's flagship initiatives under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD), it is imperative to promote sustainable behavioural changes at our workplaces. These include reducing excessive consumption of oil and sugar, both of which are key contributors to increasing rates of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and other lifestyle-related disorders, Srivastava stated. "We are proposing the display of 'Sugar and Oil Boards' initiative to promote healthier dietary habits in various settings. These boards serve as visual behavioural nudges in schools, offices, public institutions, etc displaying key information about hidden fats and sugars in everyday foods," the letter stated.
The Hindu
23-04-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Union Health Ministry brings in new competency-based curricula for 10 allied and healthcare professions
The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday (April 23, 2025) launched new competency-based curricula for 10 allied healthcare professions in collaboration with the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP). The curricula will cover a broad spectrum of professions, such as Physiotherapy; Applied Psychology and Behavioural Health; Optometry; Nutrition and Dietetics; Dialysis Therapy Technology and Dialysis Therapy; Radiotherapy Technology; Medical Radiology and Imaging Technology; Anaesthesia and Operation Theatre Technology; Health Information Management; and Physician Associates. Aimed at bringing uniformity to training of allied healthcare professionals across the country, the new curricula is designed to produce globally competent professionals to address the increasing prevalence of diseases and the growing demand for allied services. 'India is skilling its healthcare professionals not just for India, but for the international market,'' said the Union Health Ministry. Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said that the comprehensive revision and standardisation of the curricula represent a pivotal step toward establishing consistency in educational content and delivery. 'India is skilling its healthcare professionals not just for India, but for the globe. The curricula launched today will set a benchmark for the quality of healthcare professionals across various faculties. These professions play a crucial role in preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative healthcare. This initiative is expected to significantly enhance the effectiveness of skill-based training, better align educational outcomes with industry needs, and promote greater career mobility and professional recognition for allied health professionals nationwide,' she said. The Ministry maintained that the success of these curricula depends not only on their design and content but also on the strength of the systems that support their rollout, including adequate institutional preparedness, faculty training, infrastructure development, and continuous monitoring to uphold quality standards. 'Digital modules of the curriculum will be crowdsourced to make them available to all for their capacity building so that the vision of Swastha Bharat [Healthy Bharat] can be promoted,'' the Health Secretary added. The Ministry has also emphasised the critical importance of establishing robust regulatory mechanisms and investing in capacity building to ensure the effective implementation of the newly developed curricula.
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Health Ministry Rolls Out Revised Standard Curricula for Allied Professionals
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in collaboration with the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP), has launched competency-based curricula for ten allied and healthcare professions. NCAHP, the nodal body for allied and healthcare professional education standards, has undertaken a comprehensive revision and standardization of the curricula to ensure uniformity and consistency in educational content and training of related professionals across the country. The launched version covers several professions, including Physiotherapy , Applied Psychology, Dialysis, Radiotherapy, Imaging Technology, Anaesthesia and Operation Theatre Technology, Health Information Management, and Physician Associates. Launching the curricula, the Union Health Secretary, Punya Salila Srivastava, stated, 'The revision and standardization of the curricula will set a benchmark for the quality of healthcare professionals across various faculties, and it includes adequate institutional preparedness, faculty training, infrastructure development, and continuous monitoring to uphold quality standards.' 'Digital modules of the curriculum will be crowdsourced to make them available to all for their capacity building so that the vision of Swastha Bharat can be promoted,' the secretary added. Present at the inauguration, Dr. Yagna Unmesh Shukla, Chairperson of NCAHP, informed that, 'The new curricula will be mandatorily implemented from 2026, and curricula for other professional categories, as outlined under the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) Act, 2021, is currently underway and will be completed at the earliest possible opportunity.'
Hans India
23-04-2025
- Health
- Hans India
New curricula to set a benchmark for quality of healthcare professionals: Centre
New Delhi: The government on Wednesday launched competency-based curricula for 10 allied and healthcare professions, which are designed to produce globally competent allied and healthcare professionals to address the increasing prevalence of diseases, and the growing demand for allied services. Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in collaboration with the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP), have launched the curricula. Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava underscored the government's steadfast commitment to strengthening capacity building and improving the quality of education and training across all domains of the healthcare sector. She highlighted that 'the comprehensive revision and standardization of the curricula represent a pivotal step toward establishing consistency in educational content and delivery'. 'India is skilling its healthcare professionals not just for India, but for the globe. The curricula launched today will set a benchmark for the quality of healthcare professionals across various faculties,' she noted. Underlining the importance of the professions for which new curriculum has been launched, Srivastava stated that "these professions play a crucial role in preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative healthcare'. This initiative is expected to significantly enhance the effectiveness of skill-based training, better align educational outcomes with industry needs, and promote greater career mobility and professional recognition for allied health professionals nationwide. She further added that 'the success of these curricula depends not only on their design and content but also on the strength of the systems that support their rollout'. 'This includes adequate institutional preparedness, faculty training, infrastructure development, and continuous monitoring to uphold quality standards. Digital modules of the curriculum will be crowd sourced to make them available to all for their capacity building so that the vision of Swastha Bharat can be promoted,' she mentioned. Dr Yagna Unmesh Shukla, chairperson NCAHP, stated that 'these curricula will ensure uniformity and an important step in the direction of actualizing the vision of 'One Nation, One Curriculum'. It is important to note that this marks the first phase of the curriculum rollout'. Furthermore, the curricula have been carefully realigned with the regulatory standards and provisions outlined in the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) Act, 2021.
