Overall, rainfall patterns have become more irregular over the last decade. Extreme rainfall events in central India, the core of the monsoon system, are increasing and moderate rainfall is decreasing–as a part of complex changes in local and world weather–according to a clutch of Indian and global studies, as reported in January 2016.
Even with declining child undernourishment rates, India is home to over 40 million stunted children under five, more than any other country in the world, as reported in January 2016. Stunting refers to low height for age.
India ranks 120 out of 130 countries in prevalence of wasting (15.1%), or low weight for height, according to the 2016 Global Nutrition Report, which ranks countries from lowest to highest prevalence
Last year, we wrote about how India had reduced its education budget, even though the country has 282 million illiterate people–equivalent to the population of Indonesia–and 18% of those who went to school were unable to complete secondary school.
For the financial year 2016-17, the central government budgeted Rs 72,394 crore on school education, higher education and adult literacy programmes–a rise of 4.8% over 2015-16.
Still, the 2016-17 budget amount is 12.5% less than the 2014-15 budget estimate, according to budget data. The government spent 16% less than the original budgeted amount of Rs 82,771 crore in 2014-15.
