Ashish Bose coined the term BIMARU in a paper to then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in the 1980s to highlight the economic backwardness of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. He tells Somesh Jha he is not inspired by the Planning Commission’s bogus poverty figures. He says it is time the commission wound up. Excerpts: * You coined the term 'BIMARU', but these states performed well in alleviating poverty in...
More »SEARCH RESULT
Measuring poverty: How the world counts its poor -Gaurav Choudhury and Chetan Chauhan
-The Hindustan Times What does it mean to be poor across the world? It means different things in different countries depending on the definition of the poverty line-an income threshold below which families are considered poor. In most of Europe, a family with a net income of less than 60% of the "median net disposable income" - a broad measure of the national average income net of taxes income - is counted...
More »A new technology may make fertilizers irrelevant -Subodh Varma
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The whole world depends on fertilizers for growing crops because they provide one of the most essential elements needed for plants - nitrogen. Although nitrogen is the largest component of air, plants do not have the ability to absorb it directly. So, they have to depend on nitrogen in the soil. Only legumes like peas, beans and lentils have a method of absorbing nitrogen by...
More »Income disparity between rich and poor growing rapidly -Subodh Varma
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Everybody knows that there is a chasm between the rich and the poor. But can it be measured? And, more importantly, is this disparity between the rich and poor growing or coming down? New data based on consumption expenditure surveys shows that income disparity is growing and at a rapid clip. Spending and consumption by the richest 5% zoomed up by over 60% between 2000 and...
More »Food subsidy poses fiscal threat, may not help poor: World Bank
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Prices of globally traded food declined for the third consecutive quarter since their historical peak in August, 2012, a World Bank report has said but cautioned that uncertain weather conditions and domestic policy decisions such as extension food subsidy programmes in India and other countries need a close watch. Prices of all the three main food categories declined between February and June, 2013. Prices of grains...
More »