Breast milk is a complex biological fluid that is rich in nutrients and bioactive agents that support the healthy growth and development of the newborns. Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are unconjugated glycans that constitute an important component of the protection conferred by breast milk on the neonate. HMOs may act locally on the neonatal intestine by acting as signalling molecules and directly interacting with the host cells. Although fucosylated and sialylated HMOs have little nutritional value, they exert important prebiotic as well as immunomodulatory effects on the infant gut. However, there is heterogeneity in the quantity and quality of HMOs in breast milk produced by mothers under influence of the genetic and environmental factors. This review encompasses the salient aspects of HMOs such as composition, function, structural diversity, and functional impact on the growth and survival of newborns. In this review, the current knowledge on HMOs is contextualised to discuss the gaps in scientific understanding and the avenues for future research.

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Executive function skills are an essential aspect of cognition and are influenced in early life by multiple factors.One of the significant factors that influence brain development is nutrition, which plays a specific role in the brain's developmental processes and functioning from fetal to adult age. Infants in their early life rely on breastmilk for nutrition. Knowledge of the composition of breast milk and the biochemical composition of the brain has led to the identification of critical nutrients needed for the brain's growth, development, and functioning. Key nutrients for brain development are those that, when deficient during the precise, sensitive periods of early brain development, could have long-term adverse effects on brain functioning. This narrative review highlights the importance of some key nutrients in early brain development and executive functions, including cognitive performances in infants and toddlers. Lipids are crucial for brain development. Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) and sphingomyelin are the key ingredients to influence cognitive performance potentially. Early development of executive function precursors in infants and toddlers is an essential foundation for executive functions outcomes in early childhood or adulthood. Evidence suggests that specific nutrients such as phospholipids, including sphingomyelin and LC-PUFAs (docosahexaenoic acid), are essential for developing higher-level cognitive functions.

In the pre-independence period, Gujarat the Rayatwari system was predominant in the presidencies where land rights were with the tillers, who were subjected to regular payment of revenue. Tenants in Gujarat and Saurashtra were mostly Patidars by caste. They had become politically powerful by the time of Independence due to participation in the Indian freedom movement under Gandhi. Since they were the beneficiaries of reforms, they had enacted progressive laws., land reforms have met with mixed success in achieving equitable distribution of land. The intermediaries between the state and the actual tillers have been removed, but efforts to provide land to the tiller have not been successful even though the distribution of land has become a little less unequal. Although the number of tenants has come down, unwritten contractual arrangements have increased. Thus, large-scale concealed tenancy still exists. So is the case with reverse tenancy-leasing-out land by marginal and small farmers to medium and large farmers, incidents which have increased in recent time.