What to Read in The Hindu Editorial( Topic and Syllabus wise)

Editorial 1: The transformation of Koraput’s tribal food basket

Context

A community-based model of nutrition literacy is leading to change, with the predominantly tribal population in the district aware of the importance of nutrition security.

 

Introduction

Koraput, a district in Odisha, is a beautiful landscape, rich in biodiversity and home to a predominantly tribal population. But there is also a paradox. There is rampant poverty and undernutrition. There is no dearth of government schemes, in the form of direct feeding programmes or schemes for livelihood activities. Yet, undernutrition levels remain high. According to an estimate based on the National Family Health Survey-5 data (2019-21) 43% of children under five years of age are stunted (low-height- for- age) and 33% are underweight. Only 17% are fed an adequate diet. More than 50% of women are anaemic. The question is what is it that people can do themselves order to have access to healthier diets and a better environment?

 

A transformation toward nutrition security

MSSRF’s Community-Based Model of Nutrition Literacy (2013-2022)

• S. Swaminathan Research Foundation’s Approach: Between 2013 and 2022, the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) embarked on a community-based model of nutrition literacyin order to empower tribal communities to take action in diversifying their household food basket with nutritious foods.
  • The aim was to facilitate a transformative process, spearheaded by the community, to move towards nutrition security.
• Target population and approach: As it is an agricultural population with small and marginal land holdings and engaged in subsistence farming, a nutrition-sensitive farming approach to maximise and diversify food production was adopted along with sanitation hygiene and Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices (IYCF).
• Building Capacity of Core Group: Since transformation begins at the individual level, it was decided to build the capacity of a core group of adult men and women through a residential training programme.
• First Step: sensitising the community: The first step was to sensitise the community to its own nutritional status.
  • This involved assessing the nutritional status of women, children, adolescent boys and girls by taking their height and weight, consolidating secondary data and presenting them to the community.
• Selection of participants: After subsequent discussions, villagers agreed to select a few men and women from every village, representing various caste groups, to undergo a residential training programme on key nutrition concepts, such as a balanced diet, IYCF practices, the role of dietary diversity, sanitation and hygiene, and enabling nutrition sensitive agriculture that included crop diversity, backyard poultry and, wherever possible, pisciculture.
• Residential training programmes: A few residential training programmes, each about two and a half days long, were held at periodic intervals over six months.
  • These were activity-based and included group work, discussions, role play followed by an analysis of the situation and possible solutions.
• Engagement through dialogue: The approach was to engage participants in a dialogue to discuss theoretical aspects from the perspective of their own knowledge rooted in the social, cultural, economic and political
  • Participants discussed how caste, class and gender dimensions affected nutrition security of different family members at the household level.
• Comparison of new learning and existing knowledge: They compared the new learning with their existing knowledge and were satisfied when some of their existing knowledge was reiterated.
• Perception of dietary diversity: Their perception of dietary diversity was based on the ‘dish count’ rather than the ‘food group count’.
  • As one participant remarked, ‘we never thoughtabout having both dhal and vegetables in the everyday diet. So long as one was there as accompaniment to rice we were satisfied.’
• Traditional knowledge of Rice varieties: They were happy to know that they were the custodians of a variety of traditional rice varieties.

 

Collective power

• Social space and engagement: While social spacesare usually hierarchically determined, the residential training gave them an opportunity to engage with people from other villages and with both genders.
  • They planned how they could introduce and cultivate more nutritious cropson different types of land and in their home gardens.
• Collective action and government entitlements: They explored the advantages of collective decision makingand action rather than individual efforts in demanding government entitlements.
  • Realised that their efforts to improve household nutrition securitywould have to extend beyond their own villages to the panchayat level.
• Messages and songs: Messages and songswere created and composed by the participants on various themes such as a balanced diet, dietary diversity, hygiene, sanitation, and support to women.
• Training and community champions: More than 200 men and women from over 70 villages were trained in the residential training programmes, becoming the ‘community champions’in transforming themselves and their communities.
  • They identified further training needs mainly to improve agricultural production, including seed treatment, vermi-compost use, organic fertilizers, mushroom production, post-harvest technology, and value addition.
• Agricultural and livelihood improvements: Over 10 years, about 1,000 men and women were trained in various aspects of agriculture, animal husbandry, and pisciculture, creating a community resource base for nutrition securityto address underlying issues of undernutrition through household nutrition security.
• Sharing health and nutrition messages: The community championsshared various health and nutrition messages with their families, friends, and fellow villagers during agricultural work, on their way to the market, in women self-help group meetings, or even at a tea shop or during festival events.
• Leading by example: They undertook a range of activities, both individually and collectively, such as cultivating a variety of cropson upland, growing more vegetablesand fruits, and reviving home gardens.
  • The diversity of cropsincreased from about four crops at the beginning of the programme to nine crops at the time of completion.
• Notable success stories: One woman champion got her land back from leaseto resume agricultural activities.
  • Another, who was landless, took a piece of land on lease to grow food crops.
  • Another landless woman began growing vegetablesusing the foundation of the house she was constructing.
• Increased crop diversity: Diversity in crop productionwas observed in Mothpera and Deragida (names changed) panchayats in Boiparida block.
  • Initially, 71% of households were cultivating only two to three varieties of crops; by the end of the project, more than 60% of households were cultivating four to five varieties.
• Improved home garden operations: About 90% of households had operational home gardensfor about five months at the start of the programme.
  • By the end, in more than 50% of households, home gardenswere operational for more than seven to nine months.
• Increased household dietary diversity: Households began growing nine to 11 varietiesof crops, improving household dietary diversity.
  • There was a significant increase in the consumption of pulses, leafy vegetables, tubers, fruits, poultry, fish, and wild food.
• Use of biocompost: Some prepared biocompostand used it for their home gardens.
  • Most of the male championsbegan making decisions on agricultural matters along with their wives.
• Collaboration with health workers: Women championsworked closely with Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) and Anganwadi workers to spread nutrition messages.
• Personal example: Sanyaof Maligad village (name changed) said, ‘I give my daughter leafy vegetables and ripe fruits, dhal, egg because she is anaemic and was recently discharged from hospital.’

 

Facilitating change

• Monitoring the direct feeding programme: Villagers also monitored the direct feeding programmeunder the Integrated Child Development Services.
• Initiating an anganwadi centre: In Lecha(name changed) village, there was no anganwadi centre.
  • The community women championsorganised village meetings and spoke about the need for one.
  • The villagers passed a resolutionfor the sanction of an anganwadi in their village and the male championsfollowed this up with the block office until the centre was sanctioned.
• Supervising construction and inauguration: They supervised the building constructionof the anganwadi centre, and upon completion, organised an inauguration.
• Reviving defunct village structures: They revived defunct village structures for nutrition securitysuch as the community grain bank.
  • They discussed their village situation in the gram sabha(village council) meetings and developed an overall plan for hunger-free villages.

 

Conclusion

The wheels of change have been set in motion in Koraput’s villages with the people pursuing their health and nutrition security. Koraput’s transformation showcases the power of community-driven change in addressing undernutrition. Through the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation’s model, tribal communities have become empowered to diversify their food sources and promote healthier diets. The collective action of local champions, coupled with government support, has led to sustainable improvements in agricultural practices and nutrition security. This initiative highlights the crucial role of community participation in tackling public health challenges.

 

Editorial 2: The long and winding road of India-China relations

Context

Though India and China have attempted to move forward after Galwan, abundant caution may be the best way forward

 

Introduction

India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri was in China in January 2025, during which India and China made several announcements on the future of their bilateral relations. He met Wang Yi, who is China’s Foreign Minister, the Director of the Office of Central Commission of Foreign Affairs and also a politburo member of the party, and also Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party. The Indian statement after this meeting indicated that the process of restoration of several aspects of bilateral relations including media and think tank exchanges, the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, and bilateral flights is on the cards for the summer of 2025.

 

Possible reasons

• India and China bilateral relations: India and Chinahave attempted to move forward after more than four years of tense and stalemate-based relations since the clashes in Galwan in June 2020.
  • Stalematescannot be permanent. Both sides have made their points and moved to the détente.
• Reasons for the timing of the bilateral agreement: One can argue that there are several reasons for the timing of this bilateral agreement, the main being the election of Donald Trump, who is a known disruptor and unpredictable in his ways of doing business.
  • The other is about economic concernsin China and in India in recent times.
• Impact of Trump’s election: India and Chinahave been bracing for the Trump impact, especially when by the middle of October last year his election was already beginning to look more likely to happen.
  • This possibility may have pushed the October 2024 de-escalation agreementbetween India and China, and  Trump’s gigantic electoral victory in November 2024 may have pushed the January 2025 agreementbetween India and China.
• Historic context of China-India relations: There is a historic logicto this as well. China agreed to normalising relations with India, after the 1962 war, only in the backdrop of the backlash in the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
  • Again, Chinamay have agreed to normalise its relations with India given that it had to brace for the Trump impact. Thus, there is both internal and external logic around the restoration of normalcy.
• Doubts about the progress:However, since we do not know whether patrolling rightshave been/are fully restored or whether demobilisation is in its advanced stages, such an absence of communication on the part of the government raises doubts and questions needlessly.

 

At the LAC

• Government of India’s silence on de-escalation and demobilisation: The Government of Indiahas maintained absolute silence on the status of de-escalation, demilitarisationand demobilisation of the fairly large number of troops.
  • Troops were mobilised and deployed on the border, first during the tensions of May-June 2020, and then in even larger numbers in the aftermath of the June 15, 2020
• Troops on active duty: These troops were on active dutyor in newly created barracks close to the six points of tension along the border including in Galwan, Depsang Bulge, Charding Nala, Gogra Post and Hot Springs and on the north bank of the Pangong lake.
• Clarity on People’s Liberation Army troops: There is also no clarity whether the large number of People’s Liberation Armytroops on the Chinese side, before and after the clashes, have retreated to their bases.
  • Confirmation of this would mean that the actual restoration of normalcy on the Line of Actual Control(LAC) has been achieved.
• India’s stance on violation of agreements: Indiahas also made it clear in the aftermath of 2020 that it was China that had violated the several agreements and protocols the two sides had signed.
  • One is not sure about whether these have been rectified in a verifiable way. This can only be established when patrolling rightshave not only been agreed to but also exercised.
• October 2024 briefing by the Foreign Secretary: The briefing in October 2024, by the Foreign Secretary, prior to the 16th BRICS summitin Kazan in this respect, was already guarded.
  • It only alluded to an agreement that would lead to the “process of disengagementand resolution of issues that emerged in 2020”.
  • A follow-up briefing on this issue would have been useful and necessary to make it clear that Indiahad not given up on its position on the bilateral relations.
• India’s principled stand: India’s principled standin dealing with China in the aftermath of the 2020 crisis has been that the stability on the border and the restoration of the status quo ante are the preconditions to progress in other aspects of bilateral relations.
  • However, it was Chinathat reiterated that India should move on from the clashes and not let the border standoff be a hindrance to the development of overall bilateral relations in the economic, political and social sectors.

 

The need for clarity

• India’s silence on restoration of status quo ante: India’s silenceon the progress on the status of restoration of status quo ante makes it appear as though the Chinese position of “moving on” is succeeding and that India is abandoning its position of stability and restoration before there is progress on other aspects.
• Restoring normalcy: It was always known that the process of restoring normalcywould be long drawn and fraught with challenges.
  • In addition, the worldviewsof India and China will remain divergent as their ideas about the world order are not going to converge anytime soon.
• Cyclical nature of India-China relations: India-China relationshave seen several cyclical ups and downs in the Xi Jinping era.
  • Therefore, abundant caution would be the best way forward.
• Government’s lack of clarity: The Indian government’s lack of claritydoes not boost one’s confidence.

 

Conclusion

While recent efforts to restore India-China relations mark progress, caution remains crucial. Despite de-escalation agreements and talks, uncertainties persist regarding troop disengagement and the restoration of normalcy along the Line of Actual Control. India must maintain its position on stability before advancing other bilateral issues. The cyclical nature of India-China relations calls for a measured approach, ensuring clarity and vigilance in navigating future diplomatic challenges.