Amid soaring talk of Viksit Bharat—a developed, future-ready India—one critical truth is often overlooked: babies are at the heart of the battle for India’s future. Early childhood, especially the first thousand days of a child’s life, is a once-in-a-lifetime window. What happens in that time—what a baby eats, hears, sees, and feels—shapes the rest of his/her life. Nutrition, health care, protection from harm, a sense of safety, and rich interactions—talking, singing, playing—are not luxuries. They are the bedrock of physical growth and brain development.

Miss that window, and the consequences are lifelong. “When children miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” as UNICEF warns, “they pay the price in lost potential—dying before they have a chance to grow up, or going through lif

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