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Although its growth has been gradual, from the metrics I’ve seen, Mexico seems to be in a very enviable position economically.

Like China, Mexico is an upper middle income country on the cusp of reaching “High Human Development”. Both countries have GDP per capitas of around $15,000 and similar HDIs (0.789 and 0.797 for Mexico and China, respectively).

(Actually, the HDI figures are from 2023 so it’s very much possible that Mexico has already surpassed the 0.800 threshold.)

However, Mexico’s demographics seem to be more favorable and its demographic pyramid actually seems a lot closer to India’s. While China’s median age has exceeded 40 years, Mexico’s is still around 30 and, while China’s TFR is approaching 1.0, Mexico’s seems closer to India’s at 1.6.

Furthermore, while China’s TFR has been under replacement levels for 35 or so years, Mexico’s has only been below replacement for about a decade.

How is it possible that two countries with comparable levels of development have such different demographics?

Is it cultural? (e.g. Catholicism and family values)

Or can this disparity be attributed to the fact that Mexico’s steadier growth allows its citizens to better acclimate to changes in the cost of living and wages?

The Rudrama Canteens will be located on all government school premises and will be available for all attending students and pregnant women (under a certain income threshold) in the same city.

Meals will be split into categories and, on a given day, students can choose up to 2 meals per category.

1.) Rice, crepes and other alternatives

-అన్నం

-కీన్వా

-ఇడ్డెన (ఇడ్లీ)

-కొర్రల దోశ

-రాగి దోశ

-రాగి సంగటి

-పెసరట్టు

2.) Vegetables, pulses and other greens:

-సాంబారు

-ఉలవచారు

-పెసరకట్టు

-టమాట పప్పు

-గోంగూర పప్పు

-మెంతికూర పప్పు

-దానిమ్మ చారు

-వాముచారు

-మిరియాల చారు

-దప్పళం (ముక్కల పులుసు)

-బెండకాయ వేపుడు

-బీరకాయ పప్పు

-చామదుంపల పులుసు

-గుత్తి వంకాయ కూర

-చిలగడదుంప వేపుడు

-గోరుచిక్కుడుకాయ వేపుడు

-దొండకాయ వేపుడు

3.) Nutritious meat and offal

-కోడి కందనకాయ వేపుడు

-కోడి/మేకపోతు/పొట్టేలు గుండెకాయల కూర

-కోడి/మేకపోతు/పొట్టేలు కార్జం వేపుడు(extremely rich in protein, Vitamin A, iron, B12 and more); considered superfoods; portions would be limited to a few grams per student per day to prevent Vitamin A poisoning

-నెరడు వేపుడు

-బోటి గోంగూర, బోటి మామిడికాయ

-గోంగూర/మెంతికూర/చింత చిగురు/మామిడికాయ మాంసం

-బొక్కల చారు

-పొట్టేలు కాళ్ల పులుసు

5.) Seafood

-రొయ్యల వేపుడు

-బీరకాయ పచ్చి రొయ్యల ఇగురు

-బొమ్మిడాయిల పులుసు

-మట్టగిడసల పులుసు

-రామల చింతకాయ పులుసు

-కొయ్యింగ చేప ఇగురు

-కొర్రమీను వేపుడు/ఇగురు

-పండుగప్ప ఇగురు

-బొచ్చ చేప పులుసు

4.) Other:

-కోడి, బాతు లేదా కౌజు పిట్ట గుడ్లు

-గుడ్ల పొరుటు

-చేప జెన వేపుడు

-బర్రె పాలు లేదా పెరుగు

-రాగి అంబలి

I know many people bring up the cost but children are the future so few things should take precedence over them.

People only pay attention to the costs on paper but ignore the externalities and hidden costs associated with neglecting the nourishment of children:

\-Stunted physical growth

\-Stunted cognitive growth and mental retardation, as well as slower learning

\-Weakened immune system and more frequent and severe illnesses

Do consider these when weighing the cost.

Also, these don’t all don’t have to be served on the same day; instead, dishes within the same category could be rotated by day.

These dishes strike a balance between cultural (Telugu gastronomy) preservation and proper nourishment.

As of 2023, Bangladesh’s GDP per capita was around $2500 and its life expectancy at birth was 74.67 years.

The global average GDP per capita was over $13,000 yet its life expectancy at birth was only 73.17 years.

In other words, the average Bangladeshi produced less than 5 times less than the average person yet lives 1.5 years longer.

India, which has similar income levels as Bangladesh, had a life expectancy of only 72 years, which puts it at least 5 years behind Bangladesh. However, both countries have similar infant mortality rates and India actually has lower maternal mortality rates.

With other South Asian countries that have very high life expectancies relative to income (Sri Lanka and the Maldives), the answers are more obvious:

Universal healthcare and education, clean air and low infant and maternal mortality rates.

But Bangladesh is similar to India in that it suffers from high air pollution and higher mortality rates for infants and mothers. In fact, it’s estimated that toxic air takes off 5.5 years from the life of the average Bangladeshi which suggests that Bangladesh’s life expectancy would exceed 80 years with clean air.

So then how does it have such a high life expectancy for its income levels?

In light of the recent post regarding West Bengal, these are the meals that I would have available in cafeterias for all students, sorted by category. Students can choose 1-3 from each category:

1.) Rice and rice alternatives

- Plain white rice

-Idli

-Korrala (foxtail millet) dosa

-Ragi (finger millet) dosa

-Ragi sangati

-Pesarattu

2.) Vegetables, pulses and other greens:

-Sambar

-Ulavacharu (horsegram curry)

-Tomato pappu

-Gongura pappu

-Mentikura (fenugreek leaves) pappu

-Pomegranate rasam

-Beetroot rasam

-Ajwain rasam

-Pepper rasam

-Dappalam

-Bendakaya (okra) fry

-Beerakaya (ridge gourd) pappu

-Chilakadadumpa (sweet potato) fry

3.) Nutritious meat and offal (didn’t include large fish due to choking risk)

-Chicken Kandanakaya (Gizzard) fry

-Chicken or Goat hearts curry (rich in iron, B12, CoQ10 and more)

-Goat or sheep liver fry (extremely rich in protein, Vitamin A, iron, B12 and more); considered superfoods; portions would be limited to a few grams per student per day to prevent Vitamin A poisoning

-Goat spleen fry (extremely rich in iron and protein)

-Prawns curry or fry

-Anchovies curry or fry

4.) Other:

-Water buffalo milk

-Choice between 1 chicken egg or 3 quail eggs or Jena (fish eggs) fry