Nearly 65% of adults in the Arab region remain excluded from formal financial systems, according to a new report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). The Annual SDG Review 2025 paints a sobering picture of persistent financial exclusion that is undermining the region’s ability …
RASHME SEHGAL NEW DELHI Non-compliance with environmental norms has led the environment ministry-appointed Expert Apparisal Committee of River Valley Projects (EACRVP) to call for a halt to all work on the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) and its feeder Indira Sagar Project (ISP). The two projects are being implemented by the …
Bangalore: The country has successfully overcome the effect of the global economic slowdown and the GDP is expected to grow at 8.5% during fiscal 2010-11, plus or minus 0.25%, said Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee.
Gargi Parsai NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi's pet project for the water-starved Bundelkhand region has received its first tranche of additional Central assistance well in time for water-harvesting structures, ponds and dug wells to be in place before the monsoon sets in. Last week, on the Planning Commission's recommendation, the Centre …
NEW DELHI: The annual Plan for Mizoram for 2010-11 was on Monday pegged at Rs. 1,500 crore at a meeting here between Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and State Chief Minister Lalthanhawla. This includes an additional Central assistance of Rs. 70 crore for priority projects. Lauding Mizoram's performance …
MUKESH RANJAN In a review midway through the 11th Plan (2007-12), it was found that in almost half of the states , women's share of employment under the scheme is less than 30% At a time when the UPA is pushing hard to get through the Women's Reservation Bill in …
Sujay Mehdudia NEW DELHI: In what could prove to be a setback to India's growth in the power sector and reflects poorly on its performance, the Planning Commission has reduced the power generation capacity addition target by over 20 per cent to 62,374MW for the 11th Plan (2007-12) from the …
The Planning Commission has expressed concern that the Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS) is suffering from a mismatch of food grains and cash fund utilization, along with substantial delays in the release of central assistance. It has, therefore, suggested a string of measures, including roping in the private sector through …
While Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee signalled government intention to come out with a national food security Bill soon during his Budget speech, the action plan that has been worked out suggests that the legislation will not make it to Parliament for at least another year. By the time the Bill …
Rakesh Mohan Panel Told To Explore Tech That Will Help Ensure Optimal Land Use In Projects FACED with rising disputes over land acquisition in many states, including mineral-rich Orissa, search has begun for ways to reduce land requirement for industrial and infrastructure projects. The Planning Commission has asked the Rakesh …
Widespread use of child labour in India is likely to take centrestage when the Planning Commission discusses the mid-term appraisal of skill development for the 11th Plan period (2007-12). The Commission, in a draft document to be included in the mid-term appraisal, has emphasised on the need to develop institutional …
The Planning Commission on Monday said food prices will come down in the next two months easing the overall inflation, which is currently at over 8.5%.
The United Progressive Alliance government will provide wheat and rice to below poverty line people at Rs 3 a kg under the proposed Food Security Act only till it remains in power at the Centre. Accordingly, the empowered group of ministers chaired by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has decided that …
THERE is confusion still about the future of the Copenhagen Accord, the deal reached in Copenhagen in December 2009. While industrialized countries want the accord to be the basis of future negotiations, developing countries, including India and China, are distancing themselves from the accord. Their main criticism is the accord …
Normal Central Assistance and Additional Central Assistance (ACA) are devolved by the Planning Commission to assist the State Governments in specific areas. The present paper details an incentive mechanism for preventing deforestation and promoting conservation of forest ecosystems. A number of options to provide support to the states with vast …
In October 2009, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh forwarded a note prepared by the Planning Commission to Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on the problems being faced by the Indian Railways and the ways these needed to be addressed.
Gargi Parsai NEW DELHI: Surging food inflation, decline in agriculture growth rate and the impending food security bill are expected to be at the centre of the coming Union budget. With a bumper wheat harvest expected this rabi, there are projections of a turnaround in the farm sector from the …
MUKESH RANJAN Once the proposed National Food Security Act (NFSA) is enacted in the country, the Centre may have the exclusive right to determine the estimate of poverty in the country and the above poverty line (APL) population could be excluded from its ambit. The Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) …
Rajiv Shah | TNN Gandhinagar: Gujarat has a high 31.8 per cent population living below poverty line, says a Planning Commission report. This is higher than several major states such as Jammu & Kashmir (13.2 per cent), Kerala (19.7 per cent), Punjab (20.9 per cent), Himachal Pradesh (22.9 per cent), …
