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 future of the Tawa Matsya Sangh (tms), Madhya Pradesh's highly acclaimed federation of fisherfolk cooperatives, is at stake. The Madhya Pradesh (mp) government is contemplating taking over the management of the Hoshangabad-based body. tms comprises local people who were displaced during the construction of a dam on Tawa river. …
A recent study commissioned by the Confederation of Indian Industry (cii) has recommended a greater private role in India's healthcare sector. Its salience is that better services can be provided only if private players invest in the segment. There is, however, a catch: the document centres around the lucrative tertiary …
In 1985, the Union ministry of non-conventional energy sources (mnes) introduced improved chulhas (fuelwood-based cooking stoves) to primarily conserve forests, reduce pressure on rural women who collect fuelwood and to protect their health against indoor air pollution. Called the National Programme on Improved Chulhas (npic), it formed a part of …
In November 2001, developing countries succeeded in getting the World Trade Organisation (wto) Ministerial Conference held at Doha, Qatar, to issue a landmark declaration: public health should take precedence over wto patent rules. The
The World Bank has instituted a new fund that promises to relieve the poorest farmers and rural communities in developing countries of their financial worries. The Biocarbon Fund will invest in their forestry and agroforestry projects in exchange for credits for carbon dioxide (co2) stored in plants and soil. These …
Hunger and poverty are essentially a human-made problem and can, hence, be overcome by human beings. The apologists of status quo would have us believe that being poor is
Ever since 1999, anxiety clouds the faces of coastal Orissa's local inhabitants as October and November draw near. Around this time that year, the region was struck by the super cyclone that claimed nearly 30,000 lives. It is a sad reflection on the state of disaster preparedness that three years …
BEYOND MICRO-CREDIT . Thomas Fisher and M S Sriram . Published by Vistaar Publications . New Delhi . 2002 . Rs 340 Micro finance is fast catching up. As a development strategy, such finance is seen as a toll to address poverty. But there are times when such finance fails …
in accordance with the Bangladesh government's decision to ban two-stroke three-wheelers in Dhaka from September 1, around 12,000 such vehicles have gone off the road. The second part of the plan envisages the phase-out of the remaining 5,500 two-stroke three-wheelers
Automated Teller Machines (atms) and solar energy. Now that's a unique combination! If all goes well as planned, the next generation atms in India could be solar powered or battery operated
The World Summit on Sustainable Development (wssd) is over. The best thing about it is that it could have been much worse. As I write this with regret and bitterness about the idealism of times gone by, I begin to feel my age. I was not in Stockholm for the …
A us $108.8 million global fund has been raised to tackle environmental problems and nuclear waste in northwest Russia. At a recent conference in Brussels, the European Commission pledged us $50.33 million for the fund and Russia, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands offered us $10.06 million each. The …
The Brazilian government will provide about us $2 million to support research in areas such as therapeutic cloning, which involves using cells and tissues from cloned human embryos to replace those damaged by cancer, heart attacks, car accidents, burns and other kinds of mishaps. The new fund known as the …
the failure to construct rainwater harvesting structures in individual dwellings and large establishments in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh could lead to seizure of land by the government. This recent announcement was made by Andhra Pradesh chief minister (cm) N Chandrababu Naidu. The government is …
Indonesia's tropical forests are fast dwindling, courtesy rampant illegal logging. Taking stock of the situation, the country has now imposed a permanent ban on log exports. In October 2001, a joint decree banning exports of logs was passed temporarily. The government discussed the matter with the International Monetary Fund (imf) …
