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 …
Doing Business 2009 is the sixth in a series of annual reports investigating regulations that enhance business activity and those that constrain it. Doing Business presents quantitative indicators on business regulations and the protection of property rights that can be compared across 181 economies, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, over time.
The Department of Disinvestment was set up as a separate department on 10th December,1999 and was later renamed as Ministry of Disinvestment from 6th September,2001. From 27th May, 2004, the Department of Disinvestment is one of the Departments under the Ministry of Finance.
This report describes important methodological issues involved in generating internationally comparable estimates of poverty. The special chapter, titled Comparing Poverty Across Countries: The Role of Purchasing Power Parities, also provides comparable rates of poverty using price data specific to the Asia and Pacific region, and, critically, to the poor. A …
India has undertaken extensive reforms in its manufacturing sector in the last two decades. However, an acceleration of growth in manufacturing, and a concomitant increase in employment, has eluded India. What might be holding the sector back? Using Annual Survey of Industries data at the 3-digit level, and difference in …
Greater energy efficiency is key for shifting country development paths toward lower-carbon economic growth. Especially in developing countries and transition economies, vast potential for energy savings opportunities remain unrealized even though current financial returns are strong. "Financing Energy Efficiency: Lessons from Brazil, China, India, and Beyond" examines the nature of …
The Eleventh Five Year Plan has set an ambitious target of increasing total investment in infrastructure from around 5% of GDP in the base year of the Plan 2006-07 to 9% by the terminal year 2011-2012. This paper provides an assessment of the investment required by the Central and State …
NABARD is set up as an apex Development Bank with a mandate for facilitating credit flow for promotion and development of agriculture, small-scale industries, cottage and village industries, handicrafts and other rural crafts. It also has the mandate to support all other allied economic activities in rural areas, promote integrated …
There is no standing national database on panchayat finances in India, which limits any meaningful analysis of the revenue effort of panchayats. Based on a field survey in the four states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Orissa, this paper studies the own revenue effort of rural local bodies within …
finance ministers of G8 countries recently supported setting up multi-billion-dollar funds to combat climate change in developing countries. Civil society groups and developing countries have, however, criticized the funds placed under the World Bank, saying they might be used for subsidizing carbon-intensive technologies. They want them to be under the …
flood Early monsoon hits India annual monsoon swept through India about two weeks early. But it brought heavy rains causing floods and landslides in eastern India. Unconfi-rmed sources say at least 52 people have been killed and over 3 million affected in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Orissa, Jharkhand and West Bengal. …
Aryavart Grameen Bank operates in six districts of Uttar Pradesh. AGP decided to install PV systems at five of its branches to provide back up power during mains power cuts. The PV modules generate DC electricity in sunlight, which is stored in rechargeable lead-acid batteries. When the mains fail, the …
The Government of India adopted the first Flood Control Policy in 1954 and proceeded to construct 33928.642 kilometers of embankments along its rivers, 38809.857 kilometers of drainage channels dug to drain unwanted floodwaters and protect 2458 towns against floods and raise 4716 villages above the maximum observed flood level. It …
Creating Value for All: Strategies for Doing Business with the Poor is the new and groundbreaking report by the UN Development Programme. The first report of UNDP's Growing Inclusive Markets Initiative and the first one with such depth and local knowledge, Creating Value for All showcases 50 studies by researchers …
This paper begins by describing the existing architecture with regard to international funding for environmental actions, focusing on two pre-eminent institutions within this architecture: the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the World Bank. In many respects, the current situation is tending to move the locus for strategy development and funding …
the ninth meeting of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity concluded on May 30 in Bonn, Germany, with measures to protect ecosystems. The Conference of Parties (cop), the governing body of the convention, agreed on regulating the international biofuel sector. It also passed a moratorium on ocean fertilization
