Iodine is a micronutrient, found naturally in the soil and water, which is crucial for human growth and development right from the foetal stage. Iodine deficiency disorder (IDD) leads to goitre, physical and mental retardation in children, frequent abortions in pregnancy, dwarfism and so on.
In the latest National Family Health Survey, 41 per cent of the female respondents had no education whatsoever while another 23 per cent studied for less than eight years. Health indicators are much better for women who have
The basic aim of education is to improve the prospects of one’s livelihood, or so we have been brought up to believe. Higher education does lead to better incomes, but unfortunately, the possibility of being unemployed also rises with increasing education.
The Reproductive and Child Health Survey (RCH), 2002-04 and Facility Survey, 2003 give us valuable insights into the extent of success of the various health services providing healthcare in India and the case of Kerala stands out as an interesting one.
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), the programme aimed at achieving universal primary education by 2007 is one such example of how even well intentioned schemes of the government lose much of their impact due to procedural mismanagement.