Social Issues
Education, health, poverty, gender and welfare schemes
NFHS-6 reveals progress amid nutrition challenges
The sixth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6), covering 2023–24, has been released and reveals a mixed picture: measurable progress on most c...
Kerala’s health machinery goes all out to keep Nipah in check
A 43-year-old man from Ramanattukara Municipality (Division 5), Kozhikode district, Kerala, tested positive for Nipah virus — confirmed by the National Insti...
Modi to transfer PM-KISAN installment worth Rs 18,880 cr to 9.44 cr farmers on June 20
The 23rd installment under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme was released on June 20, 2026, disbursing Rs 18,880 crore directly to over 9.44 crore ...
Centre may issue nearly 3 crore more ration cards after states delete ineligible entries: Joshi
The Union Ministry of Food and Public Distribution announced that nearly 3 crore additional ration cards may be issued to eligible beneficiaries under the Na...
Primed to treat: On Kerala and Nipah
Kerala has successfully contained multiple Nipah virus (NiV) outbreaks since 2018 — in Kozhikode (2018, 2021, 2023) and Ernakulam (2019) — offering a replica...
329 million children in India exposed to extreme heat: UNICEF report
A UN agency report released in June 2026 reveals that approximately 329 million children in India — representing 92% of the country's child population — are ...
Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Amends Drugs Rules, 1945; Exemption for Sale of Cough Syrups in Small Villages Withdrawn
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has notified the Drugs (Fifth Amendment) Rules, 2026, which removes the word "Syrup" from Serial No. 13, Entry 7 of...
Heatwaves and ozone together increase India’s cardiac deaths: study
A peer-reviewed study has found that the simultaneous occurrence of heatwaves and elevated surface ozone levels significantly increases the number of cardiac...
SC notice to Centre, Punjab over failure to implement RTE
The Supreme Court issued notice to the Central Government and the Government of Punjab after a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) alleged that the Right to Chi...
First batch of NDA-trained women cadets commissioned as officers
The Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, commissioned the first-ever batch of women officer cadets in its history at the June 2026 Passing Out Parade (Po...
Why did the SC quantify labour of homemakers? | Explained
The Supreme Court, in *Shishu Pal @ Shish Ram & Ors. v. Surjeet & Ors.* (2026 INSC 634), pronounced a landmark judgment expanding compensation law for homema...
Shigella | Virulent bacterium
Kerala has reported a fresh outbreak of shigellosis (bacillary dysentery) caused by *Shigella*, a highly contagious gram-negative bacterium, affecting multip...
Demographic panel to visit metros, industrial & border areas to study population changes
The Union Home Ministry constituted a high-level committee, chaired by retired Supreme Court Judge Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar, to examine "unnatural ...
After Mum birthday cake ordeal, pins & wires in food banned
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued a nationwide advisory on June 12, 2026, directing all food business operators (FBOs) to immed...
Road accidents in India claimed 1.77 lakh lives in 2024
A report released by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways documents that 4,87,707 road accidents occurred in India in 2024 — an increase of 1.48% over...
'Homemakers are nation builders': For payout, SC pegs housewife ‘income’ at Rs 30,000 a month
A Supreme Court bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and N Kotiswar Singh ruled that homemakers must be recognised as "nation builders" and fixed a notional monthl...
What does NFHS-6 reveal about the use of period products in India?
The National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6), conducted in 2023–24, reveals that the use of hygienic menstrual protection methods among women aged 15–24 incr...
Kerala on alert after suspected Nipah infection detected in Kozhikode, confirms health minister
A 43-year-old businessman from Feroke, Kozhikode district, tested preliminary positive for Nipah virus infection at Government Medical College, Kozhikode. Th...
Amid debate over Adivasi identity, recalling the icon who helped define it: Birsa Munda
The debate over Adivasi identity in contemporary India has renewed focus on Birsa Munda, the 19th-century Munda tribal leader whose movement remains the foun...
Negotiating federalism in higher education
A significant governance debate is playing out in India's higher education sector: although education is constitutionally a Concurrent List subject, regulato...