A recent study published by The Lancet Public Health found that walking about 7,000 steps every day helps people stay healthier and live longer. This challenges the old idea that people need to walk 10,000 steps daily to be healthy. Walking 7,000 steps a day can reduce the risk of premature death by almost half. It also helps prevent serious health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, dementia (which affects memory), depression, and falls.
Even walking fewer steps—like 4,000 per day—is much better than walking only 2,000 steps. The study analysed data from over 160,000 adults worldwide. The researchers emphasise that walking benefits both the body and the brain. They encourage people to try to increase their daily activity, even if it’s just a little more than before. So whether you walk to school, play outside, or simply move around more during the day, staying active by walking helps keep you strong and healthy!
On July 21, 2025, Jagdeep Dhankhar, the 14th Vice President of India, resigned from his post due to health reasons. Jagdeep Dhankhar was appointed as the Vice President of India in August 2022 and was expected to serve until 2027. As Vice President, he also served as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India’s Parliament. His resignation came on the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
There is no provision in the Indian Constitution for an acting Vice President. However, the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Harivansh Narayan Singh, will preside over the House in the absence of the Vice President.
The Constitution mandates that an election for the Vice President’s post must be held “as soon as possible” after the vacancy occurs.
The Election Commission of India will announce the election schedule. The newly elected Vice President will serve a fresh five-year term starting from the day they take office.
How is the Vice President elected?
The Vice President of India is elected indirectly by an electoral college consisting of all members of both Houses of Parliament—that is, both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, including both elected and nominated members. The election uses a system called proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote, and the voting is done by secret ballot.
Each member of Parliament ranks the candidates in order of preference (1 for first choice, 2 for second, and so on).
To win, a candidate must secure more than half of the total valid votes based on a special formula.
If no candidate meets the required quota from first-preference votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and those votes are transferred to the voters’ next preferred candidate.
This process continues until one candidate reaches the required quota and is declared elected.
Eligibility Criteria
Candidates for the Vice President must be Indian citizens, at least 35 years old, and qualified to be elected as members of the Rajya Sabha. They must not hold any office of profit under the Government of India. The entire election process is supervised by the Election Commission of India.
The United Nations has released its 2025 Sustainable Development Goals Report (“Report”), highlighting that the world is not making adequate progress towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Report finds that only about 35% of Sustainable Development Goal (“SDG”) targets are on track or demonstrating moderate progress, while nearly half are advancing too slowly, and 18% have regressed. These SDGs include critical objectives such as eradicating hunger, ensuring quality education, and providing access to clean water. With just five years left to meet the 2030 deadline, major goals—such as Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Quality Education (SDG 4), and Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6)—are among those most affected by slow or reversed progress. The report underscores the need for urgent action and heightened international cooperation to accelerate progress and overcome persistent global challenges.
Global hunger has risen: In 2023, more people experienced hunger than in 2019, particularly in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia.
Goals most notably off track include Zero Hunger, Quality Education, Clean Water and Sanitation, Decent Work and Economic Growth, and Reduced Inequalities, where more than half of their targets are not progressing adequately.
Challenges such as climate change, conflicts, and economic issues are impeding progress in many countries.
Nonetheless, some successes persist, including expanded electricity access, with 92% of the global population powered in 2023, significant declines in infectious diseases, and increased social protection coverage.
indiaspend.com
What are the SDGs?
The SDGs are a set of 17 global objectives adopted by the United Nations in 2015 to address the world’s most pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges. These goals represent a collective vision for a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future for all.
Key objectives include:
Ending poverty and ensuring basic needs are met;
Achieving zero hunger;
Promoting good health and well-being;
Ensuring quality education for all children;
Achieving gender equality;
Providing clean water and sanitation;
Expanding affordable and clean energy sources like solar and wind;
Creating decent work opportunities and boosting economic growth;
Taking urgent action on climate change.
earth.org
Other goals focus on building sustainable communities, reducing inequalities, protecting oceans and forests, promoting responsible consumption, and fostering international partnerships.
Why do the SDGs matter?
The SDGs offer countries and communities a blueprint to solve large-scale global problems by 2030. If governments, organizations, and individuals collaborate effectively, the aim is to create a world where:
Everyone has sufficient food;
People enjoy equal rights and opportunities;
The environment is protected, and pollution diminished;
According to a new report by UNESCO, children around the world could lose up to 1.5 years of schooling due to climate change. This loss is attributed to extreme heat, wildfires, rising sea levels, floods, storms, and other weather-related problems caused by climate change. The study shows that most low and middle income countries experience climate-related school closures annually, increasing the risks of learning loss and student dropouts. Over the past 20 years, schools were closed during at least 75% extreme weather events affecting five million or more people.
It has been revealed that in regions such as Southeast Asia, children exposed to higher temperatures early in life were likely to complete fewer years of schooling. Even in countries like the US and Brazil, hot school days make it harder for students to concentrate and perform well on tests. The report also highlights that natural disasters can damage or destroy school buildings, making them unsafe for children to attend. This issue disproportionately affects children in poorer or more vulnerable communities.
Experts emphasise that education is crucial for helping people understand and tackle climate change. UNESCO is encouraging countries to increase environmental education so that children grow up equipped to address these global challenges.
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The Central Board of Secondary Education (“CBSE”) has launched a new campaign across schools called “Oil Boards”. These are colourful posters and digital displays set up in cafeterias, corridors, lobbies, and staff rooms to educate students and teachers about the health risks of consuming excessive oily and fatty foods. This initiative follows the earlier introduction of “Sugar Boards”, which raised awareness about the dangers of sugary foods. Now, the Oil Boards aim to address the growing problem of obesity, especially among children and teenagers in urban areas.
