The 11th five-year plan promised the nation “inclusive growth”. It marked a departure from the earlier official position that the “benefits of growth” would automatically “trickle down” to the poor, and that if growth was not actually benefiting the poor, then the reason lay in its not being high enough. The 11th plan, by contrast, conceded that the “benefits of growth” did not automatically “trickle down”, but argued that growth...

The battle for India’s retail market is being fought not just in the halls of Parliament and on the front pages of newspapers but also on the little stretch of road near my home in Mumbai, where Colaba Causeway peters out into Navy Nagar. The outsize name board, “Patel General Stores”, had proudly announced itself for as long as I can remember. Recently, however, I noticed that the board had been...

Recent events in south Asia have led to an unexpected reversal in the narrative of microfinance, long presented as a development success. Despite charges of poor treatment of clients, exaggeration of the impact on the poorest as well as the risks of credit bubbles, the sector can play a non-negligible role in reaching financial services to low-income households. In regulating the sector, there is need for caution in setting interest...

Rebutting union rural development minister's allegation of corruption in implementation of MNREGA in UP, chief minister Mayawati on Saturday said that the accusations are politically motivated and misleading. As per the evaluation of MNERAGA cell of the union government, UP has been among the best performing states in last four but all of sudden the corruption charges have cropped up, she said, which shows that there is more politics than genuine...

A survey to identify the country’s poor looks set to miss its December 2011 deadline since it has not even started in 20-odd states, including Bengal. The “socio-economic caste census” is being conducted by the rural development ministry, urban housing and poverty alleviation ministry, and the registrar-general of India. One reason that a rural development ministry official cited for the delay is Bharat Electronics Limited’s failure to supply enough low-cost tablet computers...