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 …
Mujrapatti and Laltenpatti are dimly-lit, they reek of an acrid mixture of cigarettes and itr (perfume). Most houses there have a nameplate. But these do not disclose the names of the people therein. They only inform of a dance performance: “8 pm onwards”. Outside, in the lanes of the two …
Rural India is much poorer than officially thought. The Planning Commission has accepted the report of a committee, led by economist Suresh Tendulkar, which estimates that more than 41 per cent of rural India is poor. States will now have to issue more below poverty line (bpl) cards. But is …
Arunachal Pradesh, being the largest state in eastern Himalayan region, has unique biodiversity and diverse cultural resources. The state is the homeland of five ecosystems and 26 major tribes. The livelihood security of tribal communities is determined by terrestrial and aquatic indigenous bioresources. Economy of tribals living in far-flung areas …
AMIT AGNIHOTRI NEW DELHI : The growing agrar ian crisis is forcing women farmers into suicide. The number of women committing suicide in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra is going up. From the 400 farm suicides in western Vidarbha in Maharashtra, according to Kishore Tiwary, who runs the NGO Jan …
Governance of the state of Sikkim is one of the key issues that we take pride in for being very, very good. It goes down to the level of the panchayats. In three districts we have panchayati raj in full flow. Interestingly, in north Sikkim, we have the Zumsa system …
Adult deaths are a crucial priority for global health. Causes of adult death are important components of Millennium Development Goals 5 and 6. However, adult mortality has received little policy attention, resources, or monitoring efforts. This study aimed to estimate worldwide mortality in men and women aged 15
Here's good news for pregnant women in Madhya Pradesh's rural areas. A free service to take them to a hospital for delivery is set to be extended to all 50 districts of the state that has a high maternal mortality ratio. The 24 x 7 call centres under the Janani …
It’s early morning. As a speeding passenger bus approaches the Acharya Vihar crossing in Bhubaneswar, a man on the roadside waves a coconut wrapped in a piece of red cloth. The bus screeches to a halt. The conductor hurries down and accepts the fruit. Barely after a kilometre, the bus …
There is something about India’s government machinery that makes it impervious to simple, low-cost solutions. It spends hundreds of crores of rupees to make available drinking water. The money, it is widely known, does not trickle down to villages that need potable water. The government knows it cannot achieve its …
on april 7, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) stopped its cervical cancer vaccination drive in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, which it started in August last year. Several girls—10-14-year olds who were part of the vaccination drive—suffered side effects, and six died. The link between the vaccines and deaths …
Hundreds of millions of indigenous women and men throughout the world manage their forests and crops sustainably, and in this way contribute to the sequestration of greenhouse gases. However, maintaining control over their land and forests in the face of colonial and corporate attempts to nationalise or privatise them has …
A quiet movement in health care has been unfolding in the rural interiors of West Bengal, improving the lives of thousands of people in villages where no doctor has ever been before. It is an effort defined by vision and commitment and is far removed from the CPI(M)-led Left Front, …
Recent report on the status of food and welfare schemes that are being monitored by the Supreme Court of India under the Right to Food case (no. 196 of 2001). It shows what is missing, what is moving & what has to be done and where in various state welfare …
This paper makes a case for gender equity in the agricultural R&D; system. It reviews the evidence on exactly why it is important to pay attention to gender issues in agriculture and why it is necessary to recognize women
This paper reviews existing microeconomic empirical literature on gender differences in use, access, and adoption of nonland agricultural inputs in developing countries. This review focuses on four key areas: technological resources, natural resources, human resources, and social and political capital. In general, there has been more empirical research on inorganic …
Bhopal: Like every sphere, women are on the march ahead also in the labour sector in the state. This fact has come to the fore after an analysis of number of labourers engaged in the works under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. This information has been given by …
