A working paper from the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council argues that India must treat childcare and eldercare as core economic infrastructure. It proposes a dedicated funding mechanism, better pay and conditions for care workers, and policy changes to shift care from a private responsibility to a formal sector. The report forecasts demand for care workers will exceed 30 million by 2050.
Finland’s daycare rewilding experiment replaced artificial playground surfaces with soil, plants, and forest-floor materials to create biodiverse outdoor habitats. Researchers found children who played in these natural settings developed stronger immune responses, including fewer pathogens and more immune-regulating T cells. The findings suggest early exposure to microbes may help train immunity.
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