# Evidence for people who decide

> Short, referenced briefs that connect biology to decisions on maternal and child health, antibiotics and research.

Source: https://khushisingh.in/policy/
Author: Khushi Singh (khushisingh.in). Licence: CC BY 4.0 for text and original illustrations, unless a credit says otherwise.
Evidence labels used on this site: established, strong evidence, emerging, hypothesis, debated. Where a page has Simple, Curious and Expert versions, all three follow.

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Policy

Short, referenced briefs that connect biology to decisions on maternal and child health, antibiotics and research. Each gives key messages, India’s numbers and options with their trade-offs.

These briefs are **evidence syntheses** written by an early-career researcher. They are not institutional positions and not advocacy for any funding line. They are marked *draft for expert review* until senior scientists have reviewed them. Each claim carries a confidence level.

- (evidence: established) textbook knowledge
- (evidence: strong evidence) several independent studies
- (evidence: emerging) a few studies
- (evidence: hypothesis) being tested
- (evidence: debated) scientists disagree

- [Policy brief · v0.9 · Draft for expert review The first 1,000 days include microbes, and both parents What new biology on parents, microbes and early development means for India’s maternal and child health programmes. **Key message:** A child’s start in life is shaped by the health and environment of both parents around conception and pregnancy, including nutrition and, increasingly clearly, the microbes they live with. For: MoWCD (Mission Poshan 2.0) · MoHFW · NITI Aayog · ICMR · DBT](https://khushisingh.in/policy/briefs/first-1000-days-microbes/)
- [Policy brief · v0.9 · Draft for expert review New antibiotics need new targets, and better tools to find them Why bacterial cell division (FtsZ) and real-time biosensor assays deserve a place in India’s response to antimicrobial resistance. **Key message:** Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) already causes about 297,000 deaths a year in India and over a million worldwide, and global deaths are forecast to rise to about 1.9 million a year by 2050. For: MoHFW / NCDC (NAP-AMR 2.0) · ICMR · DBT / BIRAC · ANRF · Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser](https://khushisingh.in/policy/briefs/new-antibiotic-targets/)
- [Policy brief · v0.9 · Draft for expert review Small organisms, big returns Shared infrastructure for model-organism research would multiply the value of India’s new research investments. **Key message:** Small model organisms (fruit flies, worms, yeast, zebrafish) make basic discoveries fast and cheaply: of 929 human disease genes checked, 77% have a fruit-fly counterpart. For: ANRF · DST · DBT / BIRAC (BioE3) · Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser · NITI Aayog](https://khushisingh.in/policy/briefs/small-organisms-big-returns/)

## How I work

Sources, confidence levels, review and conflicts of interest. [Read the method →](https://khushisingh.in/policy/how-we-work/)

## Request a briefing

Officials, staffers and journalists: a short call or a tailored summary can be arranged. [Get in touch →](https://khushisingh.in/contact/)