Sugar and Salt Labeling: Health Ministry’s New Initiative

Source: The Hindu | PIB

📰 Mandatory Display of Sugar and Oil Content in Government Offices

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has directed all government departments to prominently display the sugar and oil content in popular Indian snacks like samosa, vada pav, kachori, pizza, and burgers.

This information will be showcased in canteens, lobbies, meeting rooms, and even on government stationery like notepads and folders.
➡️ The aim is to create awareness among people about unhealthy food consumption.

📋 Boards Displaying Sugar and Oil Content to Encourage Healthy Eating

The Ministry has proposed the installation of boards in schools, offices, and public institutions displaying sugar and oil content in foods.
These boards aim to serve as visual nudges to encourage people to make healthier dietary choices.

Additionally, health-related messages will also be printed on government stationery like letterheads, envelopes, notepads, and folders — serving as daily reminders for healthy living.

⚠️ Warning Labels: A Step Towards Controlling Lifestyle Diseases

The Ministry has also initiated the use of warning labels on food items to spread awareness and promote moderate consumption.
This step is crucial as non-communicable diseases (NCDs) now account for over 66% of deaths in India, especially among those aged 30 and above.

🧬 Major NCDs include:

• Cardiovascular diseases
• Diabetes
• Respiratory illnesses
• Cancers

Experts point out that:

• Excessive consumption of salt, refined oil, added sugar, and sweetened beverages, even those labeled as “healthy”, can impair metabolic health.
• Most people lack sufficient fiber, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fermented foods, leading to further nutritional decline.
• Even so-called “functional snacks” marketed as health foods can contribute to the problem.

🔬 How Is Nutritional Value Measured? Why Is It Important?

Cooked foods are analyzed in laboratories to measure nutritional value per 100 grams.
The primary focus is on:

• Total sugar
• Saturated fat
• Salt content

Where lab testing isn't feasible, data from ICMR-NIN’s Indian Food Composition Tables (IFCT) is used.

✅ As per India’s 2024 Dietary Guidelines, if a food contains:

• More than 10% energy from sugar,
• More than 15% fat, and
• More than 625 mg salt per 100 grams,
  ➡️ It is classified as HFSS (High Fat, Sugar, Salt) food.

Such foods are often highly processed, nutrient-poor, and promote obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
ICMR-NIN supports public awareness campaigns to protect children and youth from HFSS foods.

🍔 Unhealthy Snacks: Depends on Ingredients, Not Origin

A food item — whether Indian or Western, homemade or packaged — is unhealthy if it has high levels of sugar, salt, or fat.

Health experts say focus should be on nutritional quality, not the category or origin of the food.
This initiative aims to encourage healthy behavior rather than penalize people, promoting informed choice.

It is linked with government campaigns like:

• Eat Right India
• Poshan Abhiyaan
• Fit India Movement
• National NCD Control Programme

📏 Guidelines for Sugar and Salt Intake for Healthy Living

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a balanced diet is essential to prevent malnutrition, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, and to strengthen immunity.

🧮 Recommended daily limits for Indian adults:

• Total fat: Less than 65 grams
• Added sugar: Less than 25 grams
• Salt: Less than 5 grams

For children, these limits vary with age.

Nutritionists recommend:

• Fiber-rich foods
• Locally grown produce
• Lean proteins
• Healthy fats

They promote home-cooked meals, mindful eating, and sustainable healthy habits — instead of restrictive diet trends.

Understanding the Slowdown in Bank Credit Growth and MSME-Led Structural Shifts

Context:

This article explores the recent slowdown in credit growth by Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) in India. It highlights policy interventions by the RBI, sectoral shifts, evolving credit market conditions, and the strengthening of MSME lending, which reflects deeper structural changes in the banking system.

📉 Recent Trends in Credit Growth Slowdown:

• As of the fortnight ending June 27, 2025, bank credit growth declined to 9.5%, compared to 17.4% a year earlier.
• The decline began in May 2024, triggered by regulatory and market-related changes.

🧾 Reasons Behind the Credit Growth Deceleration:

1. RBI’s Regulatory Measures:

• In late 2023, the RBI increased risk weights on certain consumer loans and lending to NBFCs.
  • Unsecured loan growth dropped from 28.3% (March 2023) to 7.8% (May 2025).
  • NBFC loan growth fell from 5.7% (March 2025) to -0.3% (May 2025).
• NPA in unsecured retail loans rose from 1.5% (March 2024) to 1.8% (March 2025), indicating growing credit risk.
• NPA (Non-Performing Assets): Loans where borrowers have not repaid for over 90 days.

2. Incomplete Transmission of Interest Rate Benefits:

• Share of floating-rate (EBLR-based) loans:
  • Private banks: 54.7%
  • Public Sector Banks (PSBs): 59.8%
• This uneven distribution has slowed the transmission of monetary policy.
• EBLR (External Benchmark Lending Rate): A rate linked to an external benchmark (like repo rate) used for pricing retail and MSME loans.

3. Shifts in Market Share:

• PSBs are gaining strength relative to private banks:
  • PSB credit growth: 12.2% in FY25 (13.6% in FY24)
  • Private banks: At a low of 9.5% – the slowest since FY21
• PSBs’ share in incremental credit rose from 20% (FY18) to 56.9% (FY25) – a success of the 4R strategy (Recognition, Resolution, Recapitalization, Reform).

📊 Improving Banking Sector Health Indicators:

• Gross NPA ratio (GNPA): Fell to 2.3% (March 2025) – the lowest in decades.
• Provision Coverage Ratio: 76.3% (March 2025)
• Industrial sector NPA: Fell from ~4% (Sept 2023) to 2.3% (March 2025)
• MSME NPA: Dropped from 10.8% (March 2021) to 3.6% (March 2025)

🏭 MSME Sector – A Structural Growth Story

MSME Credit Growth:

• Growth rate at 18% (May 2025), compared to just 5–7% during 2011–2013
• MSME share in industrial credit rose from 11% (FY24) to 17% (FY25)

Key Drivers:

• Healthier balance sheets, improving borrowing capacity
• Substandard loans (90–120 days overdue) fell to a 5-year low of 1.8%
• Expanded definition of MSMEs (higher investment and turnover limits)
• Government initiatives:
  • Expansion of credit guarantees
  • TReDS threshold lowered from ₹500 crore to ₹250 crore
  • Upgraded MSME Samadhaan Portal
  • URN seeding and formalization, improving credit access

MSMEs as Economic Multipliers:

• MSMEs are often backwardly or forwardly integrated with large corporates.
• Their activity can serve as a proxy for corporate sector health.
• Future focus: tech upgrades, resilient supply chains, data-driven policy support.

🏦 Evolving Credit Market Landscape:

Rise of Private Credit Markets:

• Global investors are increasingly participating through structured deals.
• Examples like the U.S. highlight the need for regulatory transparency and stress testing.

Non-Banking Financing:

• Companies are diversifying funding via:
  • Commercial Papers (CPs)
  • External Commercial Borrowings (ECBs)
  • Capital markets

💼 India Inc: Stronger Financial Position

• Corporates have deleveraged and increased cash holdings
• Cash and bank balances grew by 18–19% in FY24 and FY25
• Growth seen in IT, automobiles, refineries, energy, and pharma
• Excluding BFSI, corporate cash reserves in FY25 stood at ₹13.5 lakh crore – a key source for capital expenditure (Capex)

💰 Impact on Domestic Savings and Credit:

Financialization of Savings:

• Share of equity in household savings rose from 2.5% (FY20) to 5.1% (FY24)
• This could impact bank deposit growth, the traditional source for lending
• For comparison, China’s equity share in savings is 9%

✅ Conclusion:

India's credit system is undergoing structural transformation.

Despite the recent slowdown in overall credit growth, the strengthening of MSME lending, improvement in asset quality, and expansion of diverse credit sources reinforce the foundation of the Indian economy.

Policy focus must now shift toward:

• Deepening financial inclusion
• Regulating private credit flows
• Leveraging fintech for MSME empowerment
• Monitoring changes in household saving behavior

Language and Identity

Syllabus Area: Society
Source: Indian Express

Context:

A renewed debate on language, identity, and migration has erupted in Bengaluru and Mumbai following attacks on migrant workers and concerns over language imposition by regional outfits. The debate highlights the issue of local integration vs elite detachment.

What Is Language and Identity?

What Is Local Language and Culture?

• A local language reflects the social memory, oral tradition, and lived identity of a region’s people.
• Language and culture are interlinked — language preserves collective knowledge, myths, values, and customs.

Factors That Shape Local Language:

• Geography: Differences like coastal Marathi vs Vidarbha Marathi.
• Migration & History: Cities like Bengaluru have a linguistic structure influenced by migration and technology.
• Elite Usage: In Kolkata, widespread use of Bengali across all classes maintains linguistic vibrancy.

Language as a Tool to Connect Communities:

• Promotes Social Bonding: Knowing the local language builds emotional ties with residents.
• Improves Employment Access: Drivers, domestic workers, and shop staff with language skills perform better.
• Increases Civic Participation: Understanding laws, notices, and schemes in the local language fosters engagement.
• Encourages Migrant Inclusion: Migrant workers who learn Kannada/Tamil gain wider social acceptance.
• Strengthens National Unity: Respect for linguistic diversity upholds India’s federal and pluralist framework.

Language Can Also Create Divides:

• Widening Class Divide: English-speaking elites often remain detached from local life.
• Undermining Regional Identity: Viewing local languages as "irrelevant" weakens cultural pride.
• Service Exclusion: Non-speakers may be excluded from services at hospitals or ration shops offering only one language.
• Fuels Local Resentment: Migrants refusing to learn the local language may be seen as "outsiders".
• Lack of Mutual Understanding: Absence of a common language fosters prejudice and distrust.

Other Functions of Language:

• Economic Role: Knowledge of local language boosts trade and entrepreneurship.
• Political Expression: Parties like DMK or MNS use language to promote regional pride and identity.
• Emotional Anchor: Mother tongue offers emotional solace during crises or significant life moments.
• Cognitive Development: Multilingual children show better problem-solving and empathy skills.

Significance of Language:

• Preserves Constitutional Diversity: 22 languages are recognized in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
• Bridges Social Distances: Language literacy nurtures shared festivals, values, and civic harmony.
• Promotes Inclusive Urbanization: Language-sensitive planning avoids conflict and strengthens integration.
• Reveals Cultural Power Structures: Dominance of English/Hindi reflects urban inequalities.

Conclusion:

Language is not just grammar—it is a medium of existence, identity, and dignity. True pluralism exists when languages are learned without being imposed and preserved without exclusion. A just city welcomes all languages while staying rooted in its own heritage.