Early childhood development

Late at night at the Khamarbari intersection, groups of nearly 40 displaced individuals –including many children – huddle around small fires made from burning scraps of wood and paper. The flickering flames offer fleeting warmth against the biting chill, but the bare pavement beneath them provides no cushion or protection. Children in thin, filthy sweaters shiver as they chat or try to sleep, their bodies pressed together for shared heat.

Appreciating initiatives like Gift Milk and Shishu Sanjeevani by NDDB, Krishan Pal Gurjar said these programmes focus on aspirational districts, tribal areas, Anganwadi centres and government schools, ensuring alignment with local needs and last-mile delivery.

With humanitarian funding dwindling, critical supplementary feeding programmes risk being scaled back or halted altogether.

Despite the obstacles, Pakistan has shown significant reductions in reported polio cases in recent years, though sporadic outbreaks serve as stark reminders of how tenuous progress can be.

The evidence from the study is unequivocal, researchers point out: air pollution is a direct threat to children’s intellectual growth, disproportionately affecting the vulnerable.

There is growing scientific support for including metabolic health in the cost-benefit calculations of air-quality interventions. A polluted city is not just a respiratory hazard – it may also be silently fuelling obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases at scale.

With student suicides rising and mental-health challenges deepening, India stands at a critical juncture. Whether schools, policymakers, and families respond with urgency – or continue to treat emotional distress as an afterthought – may determine the fate of millions of young people across the country.

While the government emphasises protection and better age verification, the new regime raises complex trade-offs around privacy, data security, and individual rights.