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Indian Express
a day ago
- Health
- Indian Express
For women, nutrition is not just about food but a socio-cultural construct
— Rituparna Patgiri Post-independent India has faced a triple crisis of nutrition – undernutrition, overnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. As per the Global Hunger Index (2020), India's position is 94 out of 107 countries. The Global Nutrition Report in 2020 also underlined that India is most likely to miss global nutrition targets by 2025. These findings seem to align with the data released from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) conducted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (2019-21). The survey reported that among children under the age of five, 35.5 per cent are stunted, 19.3 per cent are wasted, and 32.1 per cent are underweight. Although these figures have improved from the last round of survey conducted in NFHS-4 in 2015-16, nutrition still remains a concern. When it comes to women, nutrition is not just about food, but a socio-cultural construct. Let's explore. The nutritional burden also has a gendered dimension. According to the NFHS-5 data, as many as 57 per cent of women aged 15-49 were anaemic in 2019-21, compared to 53 per cent in 2015-16. Nutrition is not just about food, but a socio-cultural construct. It is influenced by structural inequalities, gendered roles, household food distribution and cultural factors. Notably, the prevalence of anaemia (57.2 per cent) was higher in non-pregnant women than in pregnant women (52.2 per cent). It shows that women, especially non-pregnant women, rarely receive special care and nutritious food sources. For instance, anthropological studies – such as Leela Dube's Women and Kinship: Perspectives on Gender in South and South-East Asia (1997) – show that customarily girls are denied milk except in the educated, upper middle-class. Most are entitled to milk only in special circumstances such as lactation, illness and pregnancy. The neglect of menstrual health further leads to worsening rates of anemia, with 59 per cent of adolescent girls (15-19 years) found to be anemic, which poses increased risks during pregnancy and childbirth. Apart from anemia, 33.1 per cent of girls under the age of five are stunted. This is a result of several factors, including anemic and malnourished mothers as well as less care after childbirth because of being born as girls. While wasting and underweight figures are similar for girls and boys, girls receive less health care and nutrition during illness. Moreover, despite being responsible for managing the nutritional needs of their families, women are often the ones who eat less and last. These trends highlight inter-generational nutritional inequality. Children born to thin mothers, whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is less than 18.5 kg/m2 have higher probability of being stunted, wasted, and underweight. Out of 28 states, the prevalence of anemia rose in 21. West Bengal and Gujarat have the highest rates. Assam, Chhattisgarh and Tripura experienced an increase by 15 percentage points, while Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Telangana recorded a rise of less than 5 percentage points. Women from Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities face a higher risk of anemia, indicating a lack of access to healthcare. In comparison, women with higher education levels are less likely to be anemic, suggesting that education improves nutrition knowledge and leads to better dietary practices. It needs to be underlined here that Kerala stands out for its relatively nutritional equity across gender due to high female literacy, late marriage and good reach of the public distribution system. Stunting in children decreases with improvements in mothers' educational and nutritional status. Contrastingly, children born to mothers with no access to schooling and in the lowest wealth percentile are more undernourished. In this context, Sikkim is another notable state as it has focused on improving women's access to education and healthcare facilities. As such, Sikkim fares second best after Mizoram in the North-East with respect to gender and nutrition as per the NFHS-5 data. These numbers indicate the need for good governance and best practices at the local level to improve nutritional status, particularly of women. Another emerging nutritional issue among Indian women is overnutrition. For the first time in the country's recorded history, there are more overnourished than undernourished women in the 15-49 year age group. Currently, 41.3 per cent of women are overweight or obese. This trend is more pronounced in urban areas where 33 per cent of women are overnourished compared to 21 per cent in rural areas. As a result, women face a heightened risk of contracting non-communicable diseases like diabetes and hypertension. Most often, women are the primary caregivers and have limited or no time for self-care, health management, and physical activity. In addition to this, women also have micronutrient deficiency as their diets often lack diversity, with protein intake missing significantly. The cultural norm of eating less and often eating last further impacts women's nutritional well-being. The Indian Constitution recognises the Right to Food – access to adequate food and nutrition for every citizen – under the Right to Life as per Article 21. Article 47 of the Directive Principles of State Policy also places a duty on the state to raise the level of nutrition and public health. India has also committed to end hunger as per Goal 2 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. To address such concerns, the government has launched a number of policies and schemes. These include the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) launched in 1975, the National Nutrition Policy (1993), National Health Policy (2017), the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) (2017) and Poshan 2.0 launched in 2021. While most of the earlier initiatives focused on children, pregnant and lactating women, Poshan 2.0 expanded the lens to adolescent girls. Nutritional status is not determined only during pregnancy and childbirth. Improving nutrition and health requires a longitudinal approach. Poshan 2.0 also advocates for the use of technology, real-time monitoring using a digital tracking app (Poshan tracker) and behavioural change to improve nutrition. While India has a significant number of policies and schemes, their implementation and performance vary across states and districts. Grassroot service providers like the Anganwadi workers are underpaid and overworked. Some studies also noted that at times, they also have to provide supplementary food items and take home ration (THR) packets from their own pockets. These factors demotivate them and affect the adequate delivery of childcare and nutritional services. Nutrition is also connected with issues of social justice and healthcare and requires coordinated actions across multiple sectors and departments. While India has so far focused on undernutrition, there is now an emerging need to address the issue of overnutrition too. Adequately expanding the ambit of policymaking would help combat obesity and non-communicable diseases. State-led initiatives, such as mid-day meals, THR packets, could incorporate more healthy and diverse diets. Promoting nutrition-sensitive agricultural practices and building private-public partnerships to deliver nutritional services would also help expand the reach and quality of nutritional services. Having a multi-disciplinary approach to nutritional policies by involving economists, sociologists, policy makers and nutritionists, and, more importantly, women representatives would also help them become more socially effective. Nutrition is not just about food, but a socio-cultural construct. Comment. The Indian Constitution recognises the Right to Food. How do you see this in the context of the cultural norm of women eating less and often eating last? How does the nutritional status of women affect intergenerational health outcomes, particularly in children under five? Do you think that overnutrition among urban women complicates the policy focus on undernutrition? Why and what could be the possible ways to address this? There are noted variations in state-level performance with regard to women's nutritional status. What does this say about the role of governance and socio-cultural context in improving gendered nutrition outcomes? (Rituparna Patgiri is an Assistant Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati.) Share your thoughts and ideas on UPSC Special articles with Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.
Business Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
Wing Tai unveils Hong Kong CBD mixed-use development joint venture with CSI Properties
[SINGAPORE] Real estate developer Wing Tai announced its joint venture with Hong Kong-listed CSI Properties, a mixed-use development in the Hong Kong central business district set to be complete in mid-2026. Named Central Crossing, the 433,000-square feet (sq ft) development will be situated at the city's cultural and lifestyle hub and connected to its key business and financial institutions, said Wing Tai said on Tuesday (Jul 22). As a Grade A office development built on a heritage site, it aims to embrace the local heritage and historical features of the area that date back to 1880, while providing a new addition to the city's urban landscape, said the property developer. Located at 118 Wellington Street in the Central district of Hong Kong, it will integrate Grade A offices, a bespoke lifestyle hub, green open spaces and heritage preservation features. The project will feature a dual tower structure, comprising a 28-storey office tower with some 10,600 sq ft of gross floor area and a luxury international hotel tower. Both towers will be positioned to align with the city's historic urban grid. Commercial spaces will be located at the bases of the towers alongside a four-storey water wall that defines the main entrance of the hotel, Wing Tai said. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Tuesday, 12 pm Property Insights Get an exclusive analysis of real estate and property news in Singapore and beyond. Sign Up Sign Up The development will be linked to transport hubs through a central walkway system and situated close to restaurants, bars and historic attractions such as Tai Kwun, PMQ and Central Market. It will also feature new pedestrian routes that allow people to cross the site at multiple levels and access the surrounding streets. Designed by architecture firm Foster + Partners, Central Crossing is a project under Hong Kong's Urban Renewal Authority. Wing Tai and CSI Properties won the contract to develop the site from the authority in late 2017.
Business Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
Wing Tai unveils Hong Kong CDB mixed-use development joint venture with CSI Properties
[SINGAPORE] Real estate developer Wing Tai announced its joint venture with Hong Kong-listed CSI Properties, a mixed-use development in the Hong Kong central business district set to be complete in mid-2026. Named Central Crossing, the 433,000-square feet (sq ft) development will be situated at the city's cultural and lifestyle hub and connected to its key business and financial institutions, said Wing Tai said on Tuesday (Jul 22). As a Grade A office development built on a heritage site, it aims to embrace the local heritage and historical features of the area that date back to 1880, while providing a new addition to the city's urban landscape, said the property developer. Located at 118 Wellington Street in the Central district of Hong Kong, it will integrate Grade A offices, a bespoke lifestyle hub, green open spaces and heritage preservation features. The project will feature a dual tower structure, comprising a 28-storey office tower with some 10,600 sq ft of gross floor area and a luxury international hotel tower. Both towers will be positioned to align with the city's historic urban grid. Commercial spaces will be located at the bases of the towers alongside a four-storey water wall that defines the main entrance of the hotel, Wing Tai said. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Tuesday, 12 pm Property Insights Get an exclusive analysis of real estate and property news in Singapore and beyond. Sign Up Sign Up The development will be linked to transport hubs through a central walkway system and situated close to restaurants, bars and historic attractions such as Tai Kwun, PMQ and Central Market. It will also feature new pedestrian routes that allow people to cross the site at multiple levels and access the surrounding streets. Designed by architecture firm Foster + Partners, Central Crossing is a project under Hong Kong's Urban Renewal Authority. Wing Tai and CSI Properties won the contract to develop the site from the authority in late 2017.
Qatar Tribune
2 days ago
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
Qatar Chamber holds CSR alignment training forum
Qatar Chamber, in collaboration with the Regional Network for Consultancy, organised a training forum titled 'Aligning Organizations in Qatar with the ISO 26000 Standard for Social Responsibility'. The event aimed at empowering institutions to align their operations with this international standard, which serves as a recognized framework for promoting transparency, accountability, and responsible organisational practices. The forum was attended by a group of representatives from both public and private sector entities. The keynote speaker was Dr Ali Abdullah Al Ibrahim, Vice President of the Regional Network for Social Responsibility. The forum covered four key themes: An introduction to the ISO 26000 Social Responsibility Standard, A roadmap for aligning organizational practices with the ISO 26000 standard, The importance of aligning institutional operations with the ISO 26000 framework, and Certification of compliance with the ISO 26000 Social Responsibility Standard. Fatima Issa Al Kuwari, Head of the Training and Development Section at Qatar Chamber, stated that organising this training programme reflects the Chamber's commitment to supporting sustainability and social responsibility practices across all sectors in the country. She emphasized the Chamber's role in empowering both public and private sectors, as well as civil society organizations, to adopt global standards that contribute to sustainable development and strengthen positive social impact. In her opening remarks, Al Kuwari highlighted that Qatar Chamber is always keen to build institutional capacities by providing knowledge, practical tools, and encouraging experience-sharing. She noted that the forum exemplifies meaningful and constructive engagement among various sectors in order to elevate business practices to the highest international standards. The training forum aimed to raise awareness among institutions and equip them with practical tools to align their activities with global social responsibility standards, particularly ISO 26000.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
ComCom Finds No Evidence Of Cartel Behaviour In Banks' Involvement In Net-Zero Banking Alliance
The Commerce Commission has investigated and found no evidence to support a complaint from Federated Farmers of New Zealand (Federated Farmers) alleging potentially anti-competitive, coordinated, cartel-like behaviour involving five major banks in New Zealand associated with the Net-Zero Banking Alliance. The banks involved are ANZ Bank New Zealand Limited (ANZ), ASB Bank Limited (ASB), Bank of New Zealand (BNZ), Rabobank New Zealand Limited (Rabobank), and Westpac New Zealand Limited (Westpac). These banks collectively account for around 97% of New Zealand's agricultural lending market. Commerce Commission General Manager Competition, Fair Trading and Credit Vanessa Horne says the complaint, received last December, alleged the banks were coordinating their agricultural lending policies to align with Net-Zero Banking Alliance strategies and targets. It alleged that, in doing so, the banks were potentially acting anti-competitively, in breach of the Commerce Act. The complaint also raised concerns that this alleged coordination could reduce farmers' access to capital, resulting in higher borrowing costs and stricter lending terms. 'We know New Zealanders are very focused on the work being done by the Commission (and others) to ensure banks are acting fairly - and farmers are no different,' says Ms Horne. 'If we see activity that falls foul of the laws we enforce, we will not hesitate to act. In this case, however, we thoroughly investigated the complaint and concluded that the banks had made their own, independent decisions. We found no evidence of unlawful coordination between the banks or with the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, either relating to the banks joining or in meeting their obligations under this alliance.' On that basis, the Commission says, it will be taking no further action. The Commission is keenly aware that, in many sectors, New Zealand businesses are working hard to develop and deliver sustainability initiatives together. New Zealand's competition laws can accommodate such collaboration - to help businesses, the Commission has developed Collaboration and Sustainability Guidelines that can be found on its website. Background The Net-Zero Banking Alliance The Net-Zero Banking Alliance is a United Nations (UN) convened initiative, supporting banks to lead on climate mitigation in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement. It was co-launched on 21 April 2021 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Financial Initiative and the Prince of Wales Sustainable Markets Initiative Financial Services Taskforce, with 43 initial banks as signatories. Joining the Net-Zero Banking Alliance is entirely voluntary, and any signatory may join or withdraw at any time. Banks that choose to become signatories to this alliance make a public statement of an intention to align the greenhouse gas emissions from their lending and investment portfolios with net-zero pathways by 2050 or earlier. The Net-Zero Banking Alliance does not prescribe targets that signatories should set. Instead, it provides signatories with a framework for target setting, resources, global expertise, and tools to help them individually assess the emissions within their portfolios and understand ways that the shift of capital towards low-carbon activity might be accelerated.
