Healthcare, Water, Education: Factors contributing to the lack of essential services for children in India

 

Approximately 206 million children in India, nearly half of the country's child population, lack access to at least one of six essential services: housing, sanitation, clean water, nutrition, education, and health.

"The socio-economic conditions of the underprivileged are such that several members of a family often live in a single room without proper access to utilities; this makes obtaining an education a challenge for them," says aid development economist Amir Ullah Khan.

 

Despite tremendous progress in poverty reduction, roughly 206 million Indian children, nearly half of the country's child population, lack access to at least one of six key services, including education, health, nutrition, housing, clean water, and sanitation.

 

While more than half of India’s 460 million children now have access to basic services, the remaining children, particularly those in vulnerable groups, continue to face structural hurdles.

 

Children with disabilities, younger children, and those living in crisis-hit areas are disproportionately affected, and the continuation of these inequalities is related to unequal progress across regions and people.

 

While India has made progress in reducing multidimensional poverty, the country's poverty rate fell from 29.2% to 11.3% between 2013–14 and 2022–23. Investment in child welfare has plateaued globally, and the benefits of poverty reduction have not been distributed fairly.

 

Despite the existence of flagship government programs such as Poshan Abhiyaan, Samagra Shiksha, PM-KISAN, the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, the Swachh Bharat Mission, and the Jal Jeevan Mission, which have expanded access to nutrition, education, sanitation, and income support, their reach remains insufficient in the most deprived areas.

 

 The report emphasizes that while India is on track to meet its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of halving multidimensional poverty by 2030, further acceleration of effective programs is needed to reach the "last mile."

 

Additionally, global challenges such as climate shocks, political instability, and national debt are pushing families deeper into hardship, threatening to reverse hard-earned gains.

 

The lack of sustained, equitable investment in child-focused policies, especially in health, learning, and protection, continues to hinder progress.

 

UNICEF calls for institutionalizing child-focused budgets, strengthening public-private partnerships, and ensuring children’s participation in decisions affecting their lives to address these persistent deprivations.

 

Rest in peace, George Floyd — "I Can't breathe either in Belgium"

 

Black people are more likely than any other race to die, to be incarcerated, and to experience oppression globally.

People and institutions may oppress those who speak or write the truth due to a complex interplay of power dynamics, fear of consequences, and the maintenance of control. Individuals in positions of authority often feel threatened when the truth undermines their power or exposes wrongdoing, leading to retaliation against truth-tellers.

 

This fear is amplified by the potential for personal or professional repercussions, such as losing a job, facing legal action, or damaging relationships, which can deter individuals from being honest.

 

Institutional, individual, and governmental oppressions are often systemic, designed to maintain control through mechanisms like the suppression of freedom of speech, the manipulation of information, and the creation of a culture of fear and hatred.

 

Dystopian literature illustrates how authoritarian governments and institutions use mass surveillance, propaganda, controlled media, and the alteration of history to eliminate critical thinking and opposition. This is the problem I have been facing for years on my Blogger blog.

 

Gone are the days when bloggers make choices of going for the right blog, thinking that it will give them the chance to express their views. Institutional crimes against writers and efforts to silence writers are on the rise. Those responsible don’t care because they have the power to do whatever they like with impunity.

 

The fear of being a target of unseen forces and losing your job, friends, and businesses haunts many business owners and entrepreneurs. The result is one of the serious ailments of society, forcing people to lie to avoid rejection or to maintain harmony, making the truth seem threatening.

 

Even when they do speak the truth, their voices are frequently distorted, appropriated, or dismissed, reinforcing existing power imbalances. I remember our genuine health blog, “Secrets of AIDS and Ebola Journal,” which was deliberately destroyed. I wrote on the front page, “Articles not in relation to what the WHO and CDC want you to know.” It was changed to “Articles are in relation to what the WHO and CDC want you to know.”

 

I feel very sorry for people, governments, and institutions that continue to mislead the world. I am an African; I know my roots; therefore, I know where I come from, which is why I speak in proverbs. “A child who wouldn’t like the mother to sleep by crying the whole night will also not sleep. You feel you have the power to make me miserable, but that will consume you, too.

 

The Blackman doesn’t have a platform to make his voice heard, and the law doesn’t favor him either, even if he is not guilty, so my only option is to write, and I will keep on writing until the manipulation of my blog is stopped and all the damage done to my Blogger is restored.

 

"The “HOME' of my blog has been disabled countless times, and as more they disable it, the more I fix the issue. I was forced to make an extra “home” into my “header” due to the constant disabling. This is purposefully done to make navigation difficult for readers. Some of the categories, such as News, Africa, and others, when clicked in search engines, take the reader to empty pages, and the related-post widget has been manipulated; therefore, it's not in order. 

 

The phrase "the evil that men do lives after them" is not an exaggeration. Individuals, institutions, and governments not only get their rewards for their negative actions or wrongdoings against humanity, but their children may also receive their lasting consequences long after their death. That’s why some families never progress.

 

Black people are more likely than any other race to die, to be incarcerated, and to experience oppression globally. I never stop thinking about George Floyd's terrible demise. I can't breathe either, so don't forget me, but rest in peace, my brother.

 

THE ONLY THING GOOGLE AND BELGIUM CAN DO IS DENY ACCESS TO MY READERS AND USE TRAFFIC AS A WEAPON AGAINST ME, BUT THEY CAN'T KILL ME BECAUSE GOD ONLY HAS THAT AUTHORITY. 

WE ARE NOW IN DECEMBER, YET PEOPLE THINK THEY ARE GOD AND THEREFORE RULE THIS WORLD. HOWEVER, MANY OF THEM WILL NOT EVEN LIVE TO SEE JANUARY OF 2026 BECAUSE OF THEIR WICKEDNESS. 

IN THIS WORLD, WHAT YOU SOW IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU WILL REAP. THERE IS NO ONE WHO WILL SOW BANANAS AND REAP ORANGES. THAT MAKES SENSE. THE REASON THEY SAY, "THE EVIL THAT MEN DO WILL STAY AFTER THEM," AND TO ME, THEIR CHILDREN, GRANDCHILDREN, AND GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN WILL RECEIVE THEIR SHARES OF PUNISHMENT TOO.

Tea-time together: How a cup of tea holds Britain’s society together

 

Traditional British—Yorkshire Tea. Photo credit: thespruceeats.com

Among British customs, serving or drinking English tea is the most well-known. However, tea was introduced to England relatively recently, in the mid-17th century. The popularity of tea rose slowly, extending from Asia to Europe in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, when Dutch and Portuguese commerce ships began to routinely export tea.

 

In Britain, a cup of tea is more than just a drink; it is an integral part of daily life and national identity. It is a profoundly ingrained emblem of social connectedness, hospitality, warmth, and solace in British society.  Today, tea houses may be found in every region of the United Kingdom. 

 

Offering tea to people in need is a well-rooted practice that represents comfort and emotional support. This small act serves as a social lubricant that promotes conversation and camaraderie in settings other than homes, such as workplaces and public areas.

 

Nonetheless, the British take great pride in being a "tea-drinking nation," and this is true; the average British person drinks about two kilograms of brewed tea annually. It's interesting to note that the nation that consumes the most tea per person does not make its own tea.

 

The British are known for their love of tea; with 60 billion cups of tea consumed annually, the UK is the world's fourth-largest tea consumer. Why, though, do they adore it so much? Tea pairs well with biscuits (cookies in America, biscuits in England) and has its own unique, pleasant taste.

 

As a hot drink, tea also helps the British to survive the cold weather; however, most importantly, tea is an integral part of English culture.

 

The history of British tea

 

The East India Company introduced tea to Great Britain for the first time in the early 17th century. Tea drinking became popular among the aristocracy of that era thanks to Catherine of Braganza, the Portuguese wife of King Charles II. However, tea was quite costly because of high state taxes.

 

The fragrant leaves were therefore stored in locked, special safes in households, and after taxes were lowered, tea became accessible to the general public, and it soon overtook other popular beverages.

 

Related post: The history of the art of tea drinking in Japanese culture

 

The English also created afternoon tea, which is a light meal served between lunch and dinner that includes a little snack to help combat the day's fall. The Duchess of Bedford is credited with making afternoon tea popular by transforming it into a modest social gathering. Therefore, tea not only gives warmth and food but also tells others about a person.