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 …
On March 13, a bill to increase the country's green cover received the union cabinet's approval. Rs 6,000 crore collected by the Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority (campa), a body appointed by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests on the Supreme Court's directions, will finally be used if …
Farmers in Bangladesh, an agriculture-driven economy, are in for an era of dependency on hybrid seeds. Following a large-scale destruction of the country's paddy crops in the previous season, the government has decided to promote hybrid rice in a big way. Farmers growing hybrid varieties cannot use inbred seeds from …
SONIA KUNDU After travelling in Himachal Pradesh to visit friends, I had an idea to export wild mushrooms to the uk. Not really crazy when you consider how much Europeans love their wild mushrooms and how abundantly they grow in Himachal. I have always believed in fair trade. Apart from …
The 2007 National Policy on the Voluntary Sector aims at creating an enabling environment for voluntary organisations and facilitating their partnership with the government. But it suffers from a major lacuna in that it fails to comprehensively address the central aspects of autonomy, credibility and the nature of partnership itself. …
Several countries have used fi nancial incentives to encourage people to adopt healthier lifestyles with encouraging results. Now this approach has been suggested in a number of UK policy documents. But what is the evidence that it works? : a report.
The International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) brought together governments, internatonal organizations and private sector and civil society organizations to address the challenges of food security, food supply, food prices. The task was to assess the current state and future potential of formal and informal knowledge, …
A recent spike in wholesale and market prices for rice, wheat and maize has touched off food riots and prompted countries with surpluses to impose restrictions on grain exports. In response, U.S. President George W. Bush ordered up $200 million in emergency food aid. Behind the scenes, however, researchers charge …
Amid mounting worries that rising prices might singe Congress and its UPA partners in the coming elections, government on Wednesday vowed to crack down on cement and steel cartels and announced imports of one million tonnes of edible oil and 15 lakh tonnes of pulses. The announcements were made during …
the struggle for global open standards has got tougher with India saying no to Microsoft's Office Open xml (ooxml) document format. The decision comes despite attempts by Microsoft to make the format globally accepted. On March 20, the Bureau of Indian Standards (bis), India's representative body at the International Organization …
Over the past decade, thousands of families in Rajasthan's remote villages have installed solar lighting systems at their homes, which harness solar energy to generate electricity. It is a simple device but it has shrunk the nights in Rajasthan's countryside. Over the past decade, thousands of families in the state's …
A recent national survey in Tanzania reported that mortality in children younger than 5 years dropped by 24% over the 5 years between 2000 and 2004. The researchers aimed to investigate yearly changes to identify what might have contributed to this reduction and to investigate the prospects for meeting the …
Increasing the coverage of key maternal, newborn, and child health interventions is essential if Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 4 and 5 are to be reached. We have assessed equity and trends in coverage rates of a key set of interventions through a summary index, to provide overall insight into past …
ADB yet to notify Asia Energy Staff Correspondent Global Coal Management, owning company of Asia Energy, has yet to be notified of any decision by Asian Development Bank which was undertaking due diligence for possible investment in the project, said a press release on Tuesday. The lending agency's private sector …
The President, Sindh Chamber of Agriculture Syed Qamar-uz-Zaman Shah has called upon the government to initiate concrete measures for rapid growth of agriculture sector by providing maximum incentives to growers. Addressing the members of the executive committee of the chamber here on Sunday, Syed Qamar-uz-Zaman, who is also the President …
Punjab government is preparing a strategy to promote a long-term programme for Agricultural Market Infrastructure Development and to launch new agriculture investment projects. According to official sources, Asian Development Bank is negotiation with the new government for financing the establishment of commodity market infrastructure, cold chain logistic centres, dairy development …
World Bank Accused Of Climate Change "Hijack" THAILAND: April 7, 2008 BANGKOK - Developing countries and environmental groups accused the World Bank on Friday of trying to seize control of the billions of dollars of aid that will be used to tackle climate change in the next four decades. "The …
WHO's 60th anniversary celebrations have left Africa in the cold. Across the continent countries face high mortality rates and deep misery, and the regional office of the UN's specialised health organisation
