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Wednesday, November 4, 2026

Why female literacy could hold the key to reducing infant mortality

Since Independence, for the first time, India’s demographic profile stands at a telling cusp. The median age of an Indian is around 29. We are the world’s most populous country. The gender balance has improved: NFHS 5 (National Family Health Survey) recorded 1,020 women for every 1,000 men, compared with 991 just a few years earlier. Women’s educational attainment has improved sharply, and India has made progress on several measures of gender parity. And yet, beneath these reassuring numbers, a quietly unfolding trend is the total fertility rate — at 2.0, it has fallen below the replacement level of 2.1.

A recent study of women, aged 36 to 49, points to an emerging section of educated, urban and relatively affluent women remaining outside the traditional pathways of marriage and motherhood. Among women who do marry, the family structure is becoming leaner, with fewer children. The sample in this study, while certainly not representative of the entire social profile, seems to indicate a transition which cannot be ignored. Against this backdrop, one key health indicator assumes a particularly discernible significance — The Infant Mortality Rate.

A country’s mortality profile is reflected, primarily, in two important health outcomes: life expectancy at birth and infant mortality rate. Life expectancy is influenced by a range of factors that have evolved substantially over time — medical awareness, advances in healthcare, nutrition, sanitation, and research and development in medicines and medical technology. Infant mortality, however, measures the number of infants who die before completing their first year of life, per 1,000 live births. And in a country undergoing the kind of demographic and social transition described above, it becomes particularly important to look closely at what drives this number.

Our nation has made remarkable strides in improving its health outcomes. Life expectancy at birth, which was around 59 years in 1990, had risen to nearly 70 years by 2023. Infant mortality has fallen even more dramatically — from 84 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to around 25 in 2023. India has made rapid strides in improving its health outcomes. Life expectancy at birth has risen substantially over the decades, while infant mortality has fallen sharply. Yet, when India is placed alongside its peers that have traversed faster on the health-development trajectory, the gap remains striking. Even within South Asia, Sri Lanka has achieved substantially better outcomes: in 2023, India’s infant mortality rate was about 17.5 per 1,000 live births compared with just 4.1 in Sri Lanka.

Within the country, however, the national figure masks an untold story. There exist striking spatial variations in infant mortality across states — Kerala presents an impressive picture, with an infant mortality rate of just 8 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2024, compared with 35 in both Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, against the national average of 24. Although these spatial variations can be explained by differences in NSDP (National State Domestic Product), health expenditure and access to healthcare, one significant metric that helps explain this striking disparity is female literacy.

Female literacy, though a remote variable, has a remarkably strong influence on infant mortality rates. Studies show that states with higher female literacy tend to have substantially lower IMRs, implying fewer infant deaths per 1,000 live births. An educated woman is more likely to have greater awareness of maternal health, nutrition, hygiene, immunisation and the need to seek timely medical care for herself and her child. Education, therefore, creates a positive externality that is often glossed over. Furthermore, the education of the girl child is invariably discussed in terms of empowerment, greater labour-force participation and economic independence. Yet, there is another, less discussed, but potentially far more consequential link: educating a girl may also improve the chances that the child she eventually bears will survive its first year of life.

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Among the various health outcomes, the SUMAN Roadmap 2030, launched in June 2026, places special emphasis on reducing neonatal and infant mortality and on achieving the larger goal of zero preventable maternal and new-born deaths by 2030. Against this backdrop, it becomes even more imperative to take steps that improve female literacy and narrow the wide variations in female literacy across states. Evidence from both Indian and international studies point to female education as a potent instrument for improving child survival. Within India too, states with higher female literacy tend to record lower infant mortality; again, Kerala, with its exceptionally high female literacy, offers a striking illustration of this relationship. These findings underscore the importance of female education more than ever before

While the SUMAN Roadmap gives us a roadmap for improving health outcomes, investing in female literacy is a sine qua non—a recipe that embeds a positive externality beyond the familiar gains of empowerment and greater labour-force participation. If educating the girl child can also improve the chances of a child surviving its first year of life, then female education is not merely a social investment; it is an investment in human survival and the health of the next generation.

Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Democrat Jon Ossoff, US' Youngest Senator, Wins Re-Election From Georgia

Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff was reelected Tuesday to a second term, holding a key seat for Democrats by defeating Republican Rep. Mike Collins in a race that catapulted the Senate's youngest member to the forefront of his party's national stars as it looks to stymie President Donald Trump in his final White House years.

Ossoff, 39, began the cycle as a top Republican target and the only Senate Democrat running for reelection in a state Trump carried in 2024. But from the start, the senator ran as an aggressive Trump critic, with blistering critiques of "a failed president" that became a staple of voters' social media feeds across the country.

He became a fundraising juggernaut, pulling in more than $100 million and sparking speculation about a potential 2028 presidential bid to succeed the man he said has used the Oval Office to enrich himself and damage the U.S. political and economic system.

"Corruption in American politics runs a lot deeper than Donald Trump," Ossoff said during the campaign. "It's not just the money that's corrupted our politics. It is a moral corruption, the cynical indifference of powerful people."

For Trump, Ossoff's victory is a notably bitter confirmation of his decline toward lame duck status. Trump endorsed Collins for the Republican nomination in a state where the president anchored his false claims that his 2020 defeat was rigged. But the two-term congressman, first elected echoing Trump's election lies, never found momentum. He struggled to raise money, navigate his alliance with the president and defend against his ties to white nationalists and an unresolved House ethics investigation.

"Whatever Donald Trump says, Mike Collins does," Ossoff said in one debate. "Doesn't matter what it is. Doesn't think for himself."

The senator hammered Collins repeatedly as a "bigot," emphasizing the congressman's past social media posts, his onetime chief of staff's communications with white supremacists and white nationalist advocacy from Collins' son-in-law.

"If John Lewis were marching today from Selma to Montgomery, Mike Collins would be grabbing a billy club," the senator said, referring to the late civil rights icon's role in Bloody Sunday and the Voting Rights March in 1965.

Collins insisted he had always denounced racism and antisemitism, but the onslaught left him largely unable to land counterattacks that Ossoff was too liberal for Georgia.

"No one has ever asked or held Jon Ossoff accountable for any of his votes," Collins said, accusing the senator of supporting open borders, allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls' and women's sports, and voting "100% of the time with Bernie Sanders," the democratic socialist senator from Vermont.

Ossoff was first elected in 2020, defeating Republican Sen. David Perdue in a runoff held the day before Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol with hopes of stopping Democrat Joe Biden's certification as president-elect. Ossoff's fellow Democrat, Sen. Raphael Warnock, won a special election at the same time, both breaking historical barriers: Warnock as Georgia's first Black senator, Ossoff as its first Jewish senator.

Warnock won reelection in 2022 with a campaign targeted more at Georgia's moderate swing voters, reflecting the difference for a Democratic senator running for reelection with Biden in the White House as opposed to Trump. Still, Ossoff's unabashedly aggressive approach initially struck some Democrats as a gamble. It quickly became a model, with Ossoff holding carefully produced rallies where he delivered his withering critiques of the president as young aides quickly cut video clips that were distributed online in real time.

Ossoff mocked "Prince Don Jr.," Eric Trump and Jared Kushner, the president's sons and son-in-law, for their international business deals. The senator called for ending the Iran war, rolling back many of Trump's tax cuts, and blasted the president's tariffs. He highlighted his stalled legislative proposal to bar members of Congress from trading individual stocks and pitched a constitutional amendment to limit corporate money in campaigns.

The senator also carefully navigated the politics of Israel, saying he values Israel's security and "the lives of innocent Palestinians." He has voted for some U.S. military aid to Israel and against other munitions grants. Ossoff said the Israeli military has violated international standards of warfare in Gaza but avoided the question of whether Israel is committing genocide - a charge levied by some on the Democrats' left flank. Ossoff said that's a matter for the International Criminal Court to decide.

Ossoff also leveraged the work he's done for constituents in Georgia, earning endorsements from some local Republican officials in the historically conservative state who said he's been an effective advocate for hurricane relief, infrastructure investments and other federal funding.

"This is what small men like Donald Trump and Mike Collins will never understand," Ossoff said as he campaigned, "that our national greatness flows not through our blood or our genes, but through our ideas and our aspirations and our care for one another."

Monday, November 2, 2026

Census 2027: J&K completes DCHB fieldwork; population enumeration training underway

Jammu and Kashmir has completed 100% fieldwork for the District Census Handbook (DCHB), covering 6,466 villages and 80 towns across the Union Territory, Director Census Amit Sharma said on Saturday (October 31, 2026).

He said preparations for the Population Enumeration exercise in the non-snowbound areas were underway, with a series of training programmes for Census personnel scheduled between October 26 and January 2027, ahead of the actual exercise beginning on January 25.

"The DCHB exercise, conducted from October 8 to 30, had been successfully completed across Jammu and Kashmir. A total of 6,466 villages and 80 towns have been covered, with 100% completion of fieldwork," Mr. Sharma, who is also the Chief Principal Census Officer of J&K and Ladakh, told reporters in Jammu.

He said the DCHB, comprising the Village Directory and Town Directory, documents the availability of essential facilities and infrastructure, including educational and healthcare institutions, drinking water, sanitation, electricity, banking, communication, irrigation, agriculture and other civic amenities.

Mr. Sharma said the data collected during the exercise would now undergo scrutiny and validation. Charge Officers have been given 15 days to recheck and compile the information, which is expected to reach the Directorate by November 15.

The Directorate will subsequently undertake a detailed evaluation and scrutiny of the data, which is expected to be completed by December 15. The finalised information will then be forwarded to the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India for publication, the Director said.

Turning to preparations for Population Enumeration, Mr. Sharma said the exercise in the snowbound areas of Jammu and Kashmir had been completed during September, covering snowbound areas of 16 districts.

While Kishtwar district was covered entirely, the snowbound areas of the remaining 15 districts were covered partially. Special Charges, including personnel of the armed forces and other security establishments, were also covered during the exercise, he said.

Mr. Sharma said preparations for Population Enumeration in the non-snowbound and plain areas were now underway in full swing.

The Government of India had notified the schedule for Population Enumeration, under which self-enumeration would be conducted from January 10 to 24, followed by fieldwork from January 25 to February 28, he said.

He said the Population Enumeration questionnaire will comprise approximately 40 questions, and citizens would be encouraged to keep their relevant documents and personal information ready to facilitate the exercise.

Referring to the training programme, Mr. Sharma said a one-day UT-level training session was conducted in Srinagar on October 15, co-chaired by him and J&K Administrative Secretary of the Planning, Development and Monitoring Department Owais Ahmed.

He said the district-level training programmes are being conducted between October 26 and November 10. He said training in Kathua district and the Srinagar Municipal Corporation had already been completed.

Separate two-day training sessions are also being organised for Technical Assistants, Charge Clerks and other Census personnel at the UT, district and charge levels. Each batch will comprise 30 to 35 participants, with two trainers assigned to every batch, he said.

He said the next stage will involve training Master Trainers from different districts. The four-day programme is scheduled for November 17 to 20 and will be conducted by National Trainers.

Subsequently, Master Trainers will train Field Trainers during the first and second weeks of December. The final phase will involve training Enumerators and Supervisors at the Charge Headquarters level, with the programme expected to commence in the fourth week of December and conclude by the second week of January, he said.

The Director Census said special arrangements would be made to cover the Army, Air Force, paramilitary forces and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) during Population Enumeration in the plain areas.

Considering security requirements, these establishments would follow a prescribed paper-based enumeration schedule and subsequently provide their information in digitised form. Special training and designated Charge-level arrangements would also be made for the purpose, he said.

He said the houseless population, including people sleeping on pavements, in temporary shelters and sheds, would also be covered through specialised arrangements and specific instructions to field staff.

"Not even a single soul will be left uncovered or uncounted," Mr. Sharma said, emphasising that people would be enumerated at the locations where they were found during the designated enumeration period, in accordance with the prescribed de facto approach.

He said accurate Census information was essential for future development planning, government schemes, fund allocation and infrastructure development.

He recalled that Jammu and Kashmir had secured the first position among Union Territories in self-enumeration during the House Listing Operation, while securing around the seventh or eighth position nationally.

He urged citizens to participate enthusiastically in the upcoming self-enumeration exercise and provide accurate information.

Sunday, November 1, 2026

Tasmac staff go on flash strike, 3 suspended

Besides Chennai, shops remained closed in many districts, including Tiruvallur, Madurai, Erode, Karur, Vellore, and Krishnagiri. Minister Vignesh said 460 of the State's 4,040 outlets remained closed on Sunday.

The strike happened on the day that the government implemented a revised scheme. Under that, the practice of collecting Rs 10 separately under the bottle buy-back scheme during the purchase was cancelled. Instead, the liquor price was uniformly increased by Rs 10 per bottle, and customers can get back Rs 10 by returning empty bottles, subject to verification.

The workers said they faced increased workload, lack of basic facilities, and inadequate arrangements to handle returned bottles.

"Trailer" Vs "Can't Touch Me": Karnataka Sting Op Heat Reaches Union Minister Kumaraswamy

The sting operation controversy in Karnataka exploded on Sunday with the heat reaching the doors of Union Minister and JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy. The Union Minister on his part has accused the state government of attempting to frame him.

The Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh on Sunday said that the mobile phone allegedly used in the sting operation targeting former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was purchased in Delhi and handed over to a person named Prajwal Prasad at the official residence of Kumaraswamy in the national capital.

The handover of the phone was made on Prasad's instructions, the Commissioner said citing the statement made by Ritesh Pandey, an accused arrested in the case.

Pandey, a Delhi-based man, was arrested on October 24 in connection with uploading a video of the alleged sting operation on social media. He was the first person arrested in the case. The Central Crime Branch (CCB) of Bengaluru Police apprehended him in Delhi and brought him to the city for questioning.

Two videos containing serious allegations against Siddaramaiah were uploaded on YouTube, reportedly in September.

Read | DK Shivakumar's 'Sting Op Using Meta Glasses' Charge Against Industrialist

According to Singh, "On the instructions of Prajwal Prasad, Vinod Sharma and Ritesh Pandey purchased a mobile phone from a shop in Karol Bagh. They later handed the phone over to Prajwal Prasad at Kumaraswamy's official residence in Delhi."

Police claimed that all three worked at Kumaraswamy's office.

Asked whether Kumaraswamy had been issued a notice or whether his direct involvement in the alleged operation had been established, Singh said the probe was still underway and it was too early to draw any conclusions.

The Union Minister rejected the allegations, saying that neither the state government "nor its officers can touch him".

Kumaraswamy alleged that Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Home Minister Priyank Kharge had "conspired" to implicate him in the alleged sting operation targeting former CM Siddaramaiah, claiming that the investigation was being diverted to target the JD(S).

He alleged that the state government was attempting to create suspicion around him despite the accused having purportedly admitted to conducting the sting operation.

The minister of Heavy Industries and Steel also claimed that Shivakumar and Kharge were trying to shift the focus of the investigation towards him and his party.

"We are not afraid of this. Our party has the strength to face it," Kumaraswamy told reporters.

Read | Congress Expels Kripa Alva Over 'Sting Operation' Of Party Leaders In Karnataka

Meanwhile, state Home Minister Priyank Kharge said the investigation into the matter was progressing and that technical evidence and several significant leads had emerged. He said strict legal action would be taken against anyone found involved, irrespective of their influence or position.

Questioning the absence of certain individuals from the investigation, the minister said some people who had worked with Kumaraswamy and his close associates had not appeared before investigators.
"He should have asked them to cooperate with the investigation. Why is he not doing so," he asked.

Accusing Kumaraswamy of indulging in what he termed as "dirty politics" against AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Siddaramaiah, the minister said the investigation was far from over.

"This is just the trailer; the movie is yet to come," he remarked.
In October, Kumaraswamy had alleged that senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah was forced to step down as chief minister after Shivakumar threatened to release videos produced by sting operations.

Recently, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had also warned his Cabinet colleagues that some people may be out to get them through sting operations. The Opposition had demanded investigation into the CM's allegations.

Clot removal days after a stroke could help more patients recover, but the procedure is not without risks

After a person suffers a stroke, the clock starts ticking for doctors. Every minute that blood flow to the brain remains blocked, more brain tissue risks permanent damage or death. One way to restore circulation is through endovascular thrombectomy, a minimally invasive procedure that can physically remove the clot, restore blood flow and significantly reduce the risk of long-term disability or death. Such mechanical thrombectomy procedures are a standard emergency treatment within the first 24 hours of an acute ischemic stroke.

A recent study investigated a question that has long lingered in doctors' minds: Could thrombectomy still save brain tissue beyond this 24-hour window if scans showed that parts of the brain, although starved of oxygen and blood, had not yet suffered irreversible damage?

The LATE-MT trial identified adult patients across 35 stroke centers in China who had suffered an ischemic stroke caused by a major blocked blood vessel. One group underwent mechanical thrombectomy between 24 and 72 hours after symptoms began alongside medication, while the other only received standard stroke medications.

The researchers found that patients who received thrombectomy had significantly better overall functional recovery. About 49% of treated patients were able to live independently at 90 days, compared with 35% of those who received medication alone. The findings are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
To do or not to do thrombectomy

In endovascular thrombectomy, doctors guide a thin device through the blood vessels to reach the blocked artery and physically remove the clot. They try to get on with the procedure as soon as possible, preferably within the first 24 hours after the stroke. But there might be situations when patients arrive at the hospital much later.

Earlier clinical trials had firmly established mechanical thrombectomy as an effective treatment within the first 24 hours of a stroke. However, beyond this window, doctors lacked definitive evidence from randomized trials to determine whether removing the clot could still improve patients' recovery or expose them to greater risks.

The LATE-MT study, a prospective, randomized controlled trial, brought together 336 eligible patients from stroke centers across China and divided them into two equal groups of 168. The control group received oral antiplatelet drugs to prevent clots from growing or reforming, treatment to manage brain swelling and routine hospital support as part of their standard care.

The other group underwent mechanical thrombectomy alongside guideline-based medical care, with doctors aiming to begin the procedure within 60 minutes of randomization. The clot-removal procedure was performed between 24 and 72 hours after the first stroke symptoms appeared.

India slams global energy disruptions through sanctions, chokepoints

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, centre, and delegates from participating nations during the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting, in Atlanta. | Photo Credit: PTI

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar strongly disapproved of disruptions in global oil supplies through sanctions and chokepoints, saying deliberate attacks on energy trade and infrastructure were a calculated strategy to hold prices hostage.

Mr. Jaishankar’s remarks at the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Atlanta on Friday (October 30, 2026) came amid American sanctions on the sale of Iranian oil and disruption to energy supplies from West Asia and the decision to lift sanctions on the sale of Russian diesel.

The Minister said that the world was staring at an energy crisis not of production, but of unpredictability and disruption, unaffordable costs, and challenges of access.

Mr. Jaishankar, in a post on X, said he highlighted that deliberate attacks on energy trade and infrastructure were a calculated strategy to hold energy prices hostage.

“The G20 must display both understanding and leadership to keep energy markets open and predictable,” he said at the meeting convened by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The Minister emphasised that continuous distortions of energy markets through obstacles, sanctions and chokepoints were happening with increasing frequency, greater complexity and wider impact.

Mr. Jaishankar said he underscored that there appears to be little regard for the predicament of low-income countries.

The Minister said that convenient distinctions are being drawn between oil and gas. “Selective carve-outs speak for themselves,” he said.

Mr. Jaishankar said he reiterated that the knock-on effects and mutual dependence in a globalised market should not be underestimated.

He reaffirmed that India needs reliable and predictable LPG supplies for its clean cooking needs.

Mr. Jaishankar reiterated that India’s National Mission on critical minerals spans exploration to recycling. He also said India has proposed a G20 Critical Minerals Circularity Initiative.

The Minister said the G20 must widen access to finance and advance storage, small modular reactors, green hydrogen and biofuels.