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 …
The recent spate of farmer's suicides in Vidharbha have once again thrown the spotlight on faultlines in Indian agriculture. Farmer's suicides are, of course, not the only indicators of agrarian distress. But they do bring into sharp focus how the rural credit system
rural roads connectivity under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (pmgsy) is set to get another boost. On September 21, the Union cabinet approved an amendment to the Central Road Fund (crf) Act, 2000, allowing the money under crf to be used for construction of rural roads under pmgsy. Earlier, on …
Big hydropower projects are poised to re-enter the good books of the World Bank (wb) and the Asian Development Bank (adb). In the early 1990s, the wb had stopped funding the Sardar Sarovar Project under pressure from the Narmada Bachao Andolan. That marked the beginning of a phase during which …
THE Himachal Pradesh government's attitude towards implementing the Catchment Area Treatment (cat) plan has been described as sluggish by environmentalists. The state government has also been accused of not utilising the cat plan funds on field. Sources reveal that funds are being diverted and a major part is being stored …
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is preparing to shut down its libraries, end public access to research materials and put into cold storage its collection of materials on the assumption that Congress will not reverse the government's proposed budget cuts, says a recent press release of the Public Employees …
Indian scientists may get more money to boost fundamental research. If the demands of the Union ministry of science and technology are met, funds for science and technology under the 11th five-year plan may be increased by 400 per cent to Rs 100,000 crore as compared to the 10th plan …
www.incr.com Risky business More than fifty thousand investors in the US have got together to share their concerns about climate change. Their anxiety is palpable. They are, of course, talking about insurers, real estate investment managers and companies in key carbon-emitting sectors, for as this website under review sees it, …
according to recent media reports, the Union ministry of finance is set to notify a list of infrastructure facilities eligible for tax concessions. The concessions may be extended to the hospitality and hotel industry as well. While hotels with three stars and above will qualify for this benefit, hospitals with …
TEA from the Darjeeling hills are among the most celebrated varieties in the country. Combination of geo-environmental and agro-climatic conditions in the region makes production favourable for the tea industry, which has been producing tea for over 150 years now. But the industry is fraught with problems, which are affecting …
International financial institutions (ifis) avoid investing in troubled states. It just doesn't make good business sense. Then why do ifis such as the Asian Development Bank (adb) and the World Bank feel attracted to India's northeast? Does the vacuum of governance in some of these states suit the ifis or …
on july 1, 2006, prime minister Manmohan Singh announced Rs 3,750-crore as relief for cotton farmers of six districts of Maharashtra's Vidarbha region. Around 800 farmers have committed suicide since June 2005. Though the rehabilitation package seems sizeable, it does not take into account the financial realities of the crisis. …
This report outlines the financing plan for upgrading and augmenting the airport infrastructure in India. It responds to the direction of the Committee on Infrastructure, chaired by the Prime Minister, to evolve a plan for creating world-class airport infrastructure.
The Australian federal government recently tabled the Aboriginal Land Rights Act (Northern Territory) for amendment in parliament. The amendment seeks to place the financial resources of land councils under the control of the federal indigenous affairs minister, who will decide their level of funding, how they spend their money and …
G Kurupasamy, a 37-year-old resident of Irunjirai village in Virudhnagar district of Tamil Nadu, looks forlorn. He wants water for his fields, but hasn't got any help from the government. Though the village tank, a traditional waterbody, was restored by March 2006 by the public works department (pwd), there's not …
A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (cag ) has come down heavily on several states for not utilising, in fact diverting, funds meant for afforestation. In a May 5, 2006 verdict, the Supreme Court (sc) referred to the report and decided to requisition the funds from states. The …
This report highlights the importance of social protection in the struggle against global poverty. Social protection aims to enhance the capacity of poor and vulnerable persons to manage economic and social risks, such as unemployment, sickness, disability and old age.
Overruling objections of groups representing Bhopal gas victims, the Supreme Court on May 2, 2006, sanctioned Rs 37.65 crore to the Bhopal Memorial Trust. The trust administers the Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre (bmhrc) and had demanded the money to ensure better functioning of this institute, set up specifically …
The Asian Development Bank (adb) has decided to double its lending to India by 2008 in the areas of water, transport, energy and urban infrastructure. The amount will go up from us $1.3 billion in 2006 to over us $2.5 billion in 2008. adb president Haruhiko Kuroda said, "India still …
When cleared by the Planning Commission in 1988, ssp was to cost Rs 6,406 crore. By 2000, delays spiralled the cost to Rs 9,000 crore. Gujarat’s share of the cost jumped from Rs 4,904 crore to Rs 6,800 crore. The full cost, including the canals and interest payments will be …
