The Hindu Editorial (Joy and pain) – Jun 02, 2026
To read this article, click “The Hindu”.
This preview is provided here with permission.
Courtesy: The Hindu
The Hindu Editorial (Joy and pain) – Jun 02, 2026:
- joy and pain (phrase) – a state of experiencing both positive achievements and negative setbacks simultaneously; mixed results, highs and lows, triumphs and tribulations.
- health gain (noun) – improvements or positive outcomes achieved in the health status of a population; health improvement.
- National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-6 (2023-24) (Organization/Body) – The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) released the National Family Health Survey – 6 on 29, May, 2026. The NFHS-6 was conducted during 2023-24 by MoHFW with the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai as the nodal agency. It provides information on population, health, and nutrition for India and each State/Union Territory (UT) except Manipur. The contents of NFHS-6 are more or less similar to NFHS-5 to allow comparisons over time. However, NFHS6 includes some new topics, such as Direct Bank Transfer (DBT) and Self-Help Group (SHG) coverage, digital literacy and financial transactions, etc.
- unaddressed (adjective) – not dealt with, resolved, or considered; ignored, neglected, overlooked, unsettled.
- triumph (noun) – a great victory, achievement, success, victory, accomplishment, achievement.
- disaster (noun) – catastrophe, tragedy, calamity, crisis.
- take stock of (phrase) – to review a situation carefully, usually before making a decision; assess, reassess, weigh up, appraise.
- pivot to (phrasal verb) – to shift focus, direction, or strategy towards something else; transition to, shift to, turn to, redirect to.
- address (verb) – to think about and begin to deal with an issue or problem; tackle, deal with, attend to, confront.
- lacuna (noun) – a gap or missing part in something, especially a law or system; gap, empty space, void, deficiency.
- remarkable (adjective) – worthy of attention; extraordinary, exceptional, striking, outstanding.
- gain (noun) – progress, improvement, benefit, advancement.
- expose (verb) – reveal, uncover, lay bare, disclose.
- unguarded (adjective) – without protection or defence; vulnerable, unprotected, defenceless, exposed.
- disastrous (adjective) – catastrophic, ruinous, tragic, devastating.
- attend to (phrasal verb) – to deal with or pay attention to a matter; address, manage, handle, look after.
- stunting (noun) – low height for age. Stunted children typically have short heights and low body masses for their age group.
- wasting (or) thinness (noun) – low weight for height. Wasted children who are thin for their height.
- down (adverb) – reduced, decreased, lessened.
- severe (adjective) – acute, critical, serious, extreme.
- institutional delivery (noun) – the process of giving birth in a medical facility (hospital or clinic) under the supervision of trained health personnel; hospital birth, clinical delivery, medically supervised birth, supervised childbearing.
- at over (phrase) – greater than a particular amount or number; exceeding, more than, in excess of, above.
- immunisation coverage (noun) – the proportion of a population that has been vaccinated against a specific disease; vaccination rate.
- figure (noun) – statistic, number, datum, indicator.
- Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (noun) – the average number of children that would be born to a woman over her lifetime if she were to experience the exact current age-specific fertility rates through her lifetime; fertility index, reproductive rate, birth rate average.
- stabilise (verb) – to make or become unlikely to change, fail, or decline; steady, balance, secure, settle.
- replacement level (noun) – the amount of fertility needed to keep the population the same from generation to generation (typically a TFR of 2.1); population equilibrium, replacement rate, demographic balance.
- unequivocally (adverb) – clearly, explicitly, understandably, or leaving no doubt; categorically, unconditionally, unambiguously, directly.
- decade (noun) – a period of ten years; ten-year period, ten years.
- encouraging (adjective) – promising, positive, heartening, reassuring.
- sign (noun) – indication, signal.
- needle (noun) – gauge, pointer, indicator, measure.
- move (verb) – to make progress or change position; progress, advance, shift, proceed.
- build upon (phrasal verb) – to use something as a base or foundation for further development; develop, expand on, improve, enhance.
- drop (noun) – decline, reduction, decrease, fall.
- service delivery (noun) – the mechanism or process of providing public or essential services to citizens; service provision, public service rollout, welfare distribution.
- uncompromising (adjective) – inflexible, firm, resolute, hardline.
- public sector (noun) – the part of an economy that is controlled by the state; government sector, state sector, public services.
- however (adverb) – nevertheless, nonetheless, yet, on the other hand.
- heed (verb) – to pay attention to or take notice of advice or a warning; pay attention to, listen to, notice, observe.
- paradigm (noun) – a typical example or pattern of something, a model; model, framework, standard, pattern.
- dual public health burden (noun) – the simultaneous challenge of dealing with infectious diseases alongside rising non-communicable or lifestyle diseases; double burden of disease, twin health crisis.
- obesity (noun) – a complex disease involving an excessive amount of body fat that presents a risk to health; fatness, overweightness.
- problematic (adjective) – troublesome, tricky, difficult, complicated.
- malnutrition (noun) – undernourishment, undernutrition, poor, unhealthy, or inadequate diet; malnourishment, dietary deficiency, starvation, nutrient deprivation.
- besides (preposition) – in addition to or apart from; apart from, other than, excluding, as well as.
- onslaught (noun) – a fierce or destructive attack; assault, attack, offensive, barrage.
- lifestyle disease (noun) – a disease associated with the way a person or group of people lives, often linked to diet, physical inactivity, and habits; non-communicable disease, habit-related illness, chronic condition, metabolic disorder.
- exclusive breastfeeding (noun) – the practice of giving an infant only breast milk with no other liquids or solids, not even water, for the first six months of life; sole breast-milk feeding, unsupplemented nursing, dedicated breastfeeding.
- National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) (2019-21) (Organization/Body) – the fifth iteration of a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to provide essential demographic, health, and family welfare data across India.
- infant malnutrition (noun) – inadequate or unbalanced nutrition in babies and young children leading to developmental issues; baby undernourishment, toddler nutrient deficiency, infant starvation, early childhood malnourishment.
- cross-sectional (adjective) – involving the analysis of data collected from a population, or a representative subset, at one specific point in time.
- household (adjective) – relating to a house and its occupants regarded as a unit; domestic, family, residential, home.
- primary tool (noun) – the main or most important instrument or method used to achieve a specific purpose; chief instrument, main device, principal method, foremost means.
- public policy (noun) – government strategy, state policy, administration guidelines, civic policy.
- evidence-based (adjective) – data-driven, fact-based, empirically supported, research-backed.
- governance (noun) – administration, management, rule, leadership.
- track (verb) – monitor, observe, trace, record.
- development indicator (noun) – a statistical measure used to gauge the economic, social, and health progress of a country or region; growth metric, progress measure, socioeconomic parameter, advancement benchmark.
- trend (noun) – tendency, movement, drift, direction.
- Sample Registration System (SRS) (Organization/Body) – a large-scale demographic survey in India providing reliable annual estimates of birth rate, death rate, and other fertility and mortality indicators.
- National Health Accounts Survey (Organization/Body) – an official mechanism that systematically tracks the flow of health funds within a country’s health system to monitor healthcare expenditure.
- lack (noun) – absence, deficiency, shortage, dearth.
- metabolic disorder (noun) – a medical condition that disrupts normal metabolism, the process of converting food to energy on a cellular level; metabolic disease, biochemical abnormality, metabolic syndrome.
- let (verb) – to allow or permit something to happen; allow, permit, authorize, sanction.
- sooner rather than later (phrase) – quickly or in the near future, before too much time has passed; promptly, imminently, before long, without delay.
- demographic transition (noun) – a long-term trend of declining birth and death rates, resulting in substantive changes in the age structure of a population; population shift, demographic shift, demographic evolution, population aging.
- greyer nation (noun) – a country experiencing an increase in the proportion of elderly people in its population; aging society, older demographic, aging population, elderly citizenry.
- transformation (noun) – a marked change, alteration, modification, metamorphosis.
- set up (phrasal verb) – establish, institute, create, organize.
- comprehensive (adjective) – all-inclusive, thorough, extensive, exhaustive.
- screening (noun) – the evaluation or investigation of something as part of a methodical survey, especially to detect diseases; testing, examination, assessment, checking.
- Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) (noun) – chronic conditions that are not passed from person to person; chronic diseases, lifestyle illnesses, non-infectious diseases, long-term health conditions.
- stress on (phrasal verb) – emphasize, highlight, underline, focus on.
- behaviour change communication (noun) – an interactive process with communities to develop tailored messages and approaches using a variety of communication channels to develop positive behaviours; health messaging, public awareness campaign, behavioural advocacy, targeted health communication.
- sugared beverage (noun) – any liquid intended for human consumption that contains added caloric sweeteners; sweetened drink, sugary drink, soft drink.
- packaged food (noun) – processed food, ready-to-eat food, canned food.
- limit (verb) – restrict, cap, control, constrain.
- burden (noun) – load, weight, strain, trouble.
- bolster (verb) – to support or strengthen; strengthen, reinforce, support, boost.
- tackle (verb) – address, confront, handle, deal with.
- set in (phrasal verb) – to begin and seem likely to continue, especially regarding something unpleasant; begin, start, emerge, take hold.
Note:
1. Definitions (elementary level) & Synonyms provided for the words above are our personal work. Tentative definitions/meanings are provided for study purposes only and they may vary in a different context.
2. This word list is for personal use only. Reproduction in any format and/or Commercial use of it is/are strictly prohibited.
To download daily word list PDFs, click HERE
“Idioms & Phrases” We Learnt Last Week
“Important Definitions” We Learnt Last Week
Recent Word Lists For The Hindu Editorial Articles
When triumph and disaster arrive at the same time, it is important to celebrate, but also, to take stock, assess, and pivot to address the lacuna. The recently released National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-6 data offer such an opportunity… For further reading, visit “The Hindu”. Below is today’s word list-1 for The Hindu Editorial (Joy and pain) – Jun 02, 2026.