India's unemployment rate is likely to decline by as much as 97 basis points by 2028 as the country's economy hits the USD 5 trillion mark, fuelling a rise in employment, a new report said. Unemployment rate -- the percentage of people in the labour force who are without jobs …
going in to bat for the indigenous industry, the Jammu and Kashmir (j&k;) government has decided to ban the export of willow cleft outside the state. The much-awaited move is set to put local manufacturers of cricket bats on a strong wicket. Over the years, the local manufacturers had lost …
From a resource-rich area to a metaphor for poverty, the Balangir district of Orissa has covered a long distance. Plausibly, it is this journey that is driving its inhabitants to go away from their roots
The M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (mssrf) is promoting rural entrepreneurship as a solution to alleviating poverty. The organisation's J R D Tata Ecotechnology Centre located in the village of Kannivadi, in Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu, conceives and implements many innovative projects in the region. The centre's coordinator, S Bose, …
Bharat Bhugel mopped his brow at 4.30 am on a chilly day in January 2003. Under the cover of darkness, he and three others had chopped down a huge sal tree inside the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary in the foothills of Darjeeling in West Bengal. Bhugel has been carrying out such …
Tobacco Ban The Rajya Sabha's clearance of the tobacco bill has attracted an ad from the industry criticising the ban imposed on the sale of tobacco products near educational institutions. The notice argues that the ban would create massive unemployment. In a blatant attempt at emotional blackmail the ad complains, …
Middle-aged Bedunath wears saffron-coloured clothes and sets out daily with two snake baskets slung over his shoulders. He spends the entire day walking the streets of Delhi blowing on his flute, mesmerising snakes and passersby alike. Bedunath resides in a unique colony in Delhi called Mollarbandhgaon. This community, located next …
Recurrent droughts and floods coupled with mass poverty, chronic unemployment and pervasive malnutrition are the major challenges before India. The Union government usually responds by complaining about truant rains and doles out funds in an arbitrary manner. As an alternative, I propose a nationwide watershed development programme through the statutory …
true, everybody loves a good drought. But the latest mantra is the interlinking of the country's rivers. Everybody loves it too. So much so, that it seems to be a favoured jingle with most political parties. It is an old virus. The first sign of its new mutation showed up …
Water is a critical issue in Afghanistan. The country receives less than 300 millimetres of rain each year and shares all its river basins with neighbouring countries. Twenty-three years of conflict have left its water infrastructure system shattered. And drought over the last five years aggravated the situation. Today, only …
Debate on the right rehabilitation policy for those displaced by dams has been on for years. Folklore has it that the only fair and proper compensation lies in rehabilitation on the land. How did this theory develop? Multipurpose river valley projects, like Bhakra, Hirakud and the Damodar Valley Corporation were …
This book is a welcome addition to the growing literature on the joint forest management (JFM) programme. The beginnings of this initiative can be dated to the early 1970s, when people had just begun to question the 'industrialise at all costs' policy. However, it took another decade and a half …
extreme measures do work! Like it did for the staff of Valmiki Tiger Reserve who had not been paid their salaries since October last year. As a culmination of their efforts, the Supreme Court has now ordered the Bihar government to pay salaries to its employees at the Valmiki Tiger …
despite stiff opposition from the greens, the parliament of Norway cleared the nation's first petroleum development project in the Arctic Barents Sea. It was passed by a 75-25 vote recently. The natural gas project
One small village in Maharashtra is the teaching ground for five state governments today. Anna Saheb Hazare is the benevolent teacher. He teaches common sense. Rules of simple and sustainable living that the nation has learned to forget. Practices that have made Ralegan Siddhi an example for the numerous developmental …
Why is Veerappan popular with the residents of some 175 villages from where he operates? Simply because he not only gives them employment, but also facilitates smuggling of small amount of sandalwood in the nearby Salem market in Tamil Nadu. Considering that he has not been actively involved with smuggling …
the Manipur government has renewed its interest in setting up the 1,500 mw Tipaimukh multi-purpose project on the Barak at an estimated Rs 2,899 crore (at July 1995 levels). The project was held up due to the agitation led by R K Priyabrata Singh, chairman of the Manipur-based Action Committee …
the tribal community of Bastar district of Madhya Pradesh will be involved in a scheme to process minor forest produce. With an estimated expenditure of Rs 16 crore, the scheme will provide employment opportunities to the tribals who will be involved in processing, marketing and transportation of minor forest produce. …
