Demography India, Vol 54, Special Issue 2 (November 2025)
Intersecting Inequities: Health and Nutrition Among Vulnerable Populations: A Special Issue of Demography India

From the Chief Editor’s Desk

Demography India, Vol 54, Special Issue 2 (November 2025)
Demography Health and Development: Insights from North-East India

The editorial team is happy to present this special issue of Volume 54 (November 2025) of Demography India. This issue covers a diverse range of topics including breastfeeding practices, barriers to institutional deliveries, family relationships among injecting drug users, rural-urban migration, teenage pregnancy, boat-based health care services which is a special feature of Assam, patterns and predictors of tobacco users, inequalities in health care, family welfare programme in North-Eastern States and dietary diversity. This would help the readers in a holistic understanding of the demographic and health situation in North-East India.

It may be noted that all these papers were presented in the Northeastern Regional Conference of the Indian Association for the Study of Population (IASP) on Demography, Health and Development: Insights from Northeast India. The conference was organised Jointly with Shri Ramasamy Memorial University (SRMU), Sikkim, 29-30 May 2025. As is always the case, many papers were presented in the conference. IASP formed a review committee to identify some papers for publication in this special issue on the North-East. The ten papers included here were, therefore, adjudged as the best papers for publication which meet the standards of papers usually published in Demography India.

We express our sincere gratitude to IASP President, Prof. Suresh Sharma, IEG, for supporting the activities of this journal. We also express our appreciation to all our reviewers for their valuable insights and timely feedback on the research papers submitted for publication. We are also thankful to the editorial staff of the IEG for providing support in publishing the journal. With the unwavering support of the demographic community in India and abroad—as well as the collaboration of social scientists working on population, health, and public policy issues—we aim to elevate Demography India to a new height of academic quality and impact. Together, we will shape a journal that continues to serve as a valuable resource for knowledge exchange and evidence-based decision-making.

We would also be happy to receive books and reports for review in the next issue of the journal. If you have published a book or report and would like it to be included in the next issue, you may send two copies to Dr. Priyanka Yadav, IEG.

If you have any suggestions to improve the quality of the journal, you may contact the chief editor at arunk@iitk.ac.in or 4aksharma@gmail.com.

Arun Kumar Sharma, Senior Professor, IIT Kanpur (Ret.)
Chief Editor, Demography India

Foreword

It gives me immense pleasure to present this special issue of Demography India, which brings together a collection of 11 research papers developed under the RASTA (Research and Analysis for Scientific Transformation and Advancement). This special issue is a result of RASTA's effort to build a robust community of data-driven researchers, equipped to address the pressing challenges of India’s social sector through evidence-based insights and innovative approaches.

RASTA serves as a unique platform where early-career scholars are mentored by senior experts, enhancing their capacity to handle large-scale datasets and address critical development issues. RASTA platform has created a vibrant network of passionate researchers committed to advancing the quality and impact of social science research in India. The papers in this special issue reflect the diversity and depth of research nurtured through this mentorship-driven model. I congratulate the authors, their mentors, and the entire RASTA team for their relentless efforts in bringing this special issue to fruition. I am confident that the findings and insights presented in these papers will contribute significantly to India's ongoing dialogue on health, nutrition, and social well-being, inspiring further research and action.
With best wishes for continued success,

Dr. Niranjan Saggurti
Country Director, Population Council, India

About RASTA

RASTA (Research and Analysis for Scientific Transformation and Advancement) is a multi-institutional collaborative platform supported by multiple donors and led by the Population Council since 2018. It has been providing analytical support to various departments within the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), other Government of India ministries, development partners, and stakeholders to promote evidence-based decision-making for effective program and policy implementation. Through in-depth analyses of publicly available data, RASTA plays a critical role in strengthening the use of evidence within the health system. Initially focused on supporting the Family Planning (FP) division of MoHFW, RASTA has, since 2022, expanded its research scope to cover the broader RMNCHA+N spectrum. One of the unique aspects of RASTA is its commitment to capacity building of young Indian researchers through a structured mentorship model. This model aligns analytical training with real-world programmatic research questions, helping to cultivate a cadre of RASTA Scholars skilled in data-driven policy support.

Over time, RASTA has also initiated institutional partnerships with state-level research and academic organizations to ensure sustainable, long-term capacity strengthening in data use. This evolution marks RASTA’s growing commitment to building a culture of data-informed decision-making within public institutions, enhancing institutional capacities, and creating a pool of skilled researchers capable of supporting national and sub-national health priorities.

Since its inception, RASTA has mentored over 60 scholars and early-career researchers and has published more than 40 program and policy briefs, including contributions to the FP2020 and FP2030 initiatives. It has produced over 60 peer-reviewed manuscripts in high-impact journals. RASTA has also undertaken more than 40 data analysis and documentation exercises to inform health programs and policies. These milestones reflect RASTA’s sustained commitment to enhancing evidence-informed programme and policy implementation in India.

Punit Mishra
Lead, RASTA, Population Council, India