-The New York Times Inequality has been rising in most countries around the world, but it has played out in different ways across countries and regions. The US, it is increasingly recognised, has the sad distinction of being the most unequal advanced country. Singapore, meanwhile, has had the distinction of having prioritised social and economic equity while achieving very high rates of growth over the past 30 years: an example par excellence...

-PTI   Approximately 68 million Indians are living in slums, according to a government census. Releasing the first such census report on slum households prepared by the Registrar General of India, Union Housing and urban poverty alleviation minister Ajay Maken today said that majority of them were located in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Presenting the highlights of the report, Census Commissioner C Chandramouli said,...

-The Hindu Bangalore: In an open letter to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike Commissioner, Amnesty International India has demanded that the BBMP ensure that those affected by its forced eviction of around 1,200 families from the Economically Weaker Section Quarters in Ejipura are immediately provided with essential medical services, drinking water, access to sanitation and basic Housing, “in line with international human rights standards”. Amnesty International said that it is particularly worried...

-The Economic Times A Bill that envisages offering the rural poor right to land and a home has invited criticism from states for not consulting them and for being "impractical". Land is a state subject. The National Right to Homestead Bill, 2013 - drafted by a task force chaired by Union minister Jairam Ramesh -would offer a poor family in the country side right to a piece of land of not less...

-First Post In an interview with Firstpost, Ajay Chhibber, Regional Director of the UNDP, tells us why India ranks low on the Human Development Index, below China, Sri Lanka and Iran, what we need to do to improve our standing and why welfare schemes are not to be blamed for poor growth or inflation. Excerpts from the interview: * Why does India lag other BRIC countries in the HDI ratings? Compared to the other...