The share of total expenditure on medical and healthcare is comparatively higher for an average rural citizen than his/her urban counterpart, reveals the latest available National Sample Survey Report (68th Round) entitled Level and Pattern of Consumer Expenditure 2011-12.   Although an average urban Indian spends nearly 84 percent higher than his/her rural counterpart in a month, the share of total outlay on medical expense* is higher in case of the...

-The Times of India BANGALORE: India has one of the worst records in the trickle-down of wealth. As of last year, for every one billionaire in India, there were just 26 ultra high net-worth individuals (UHNIs)-those whose net assets are over $30 million excluding their primary residence. In Japan, for every billionaire there were 609 UHNIs. In Brazil and South Africa, which are comparable emerging markets, the ratio was 1:129 and 1:119...

-The Business Standard Hailstorms may cause Rs 12k-cr crop damage, El Niño a bigger worry India's hope rally will be at risk if El Niño actually strikes this year. Even if a reformist government comes to power in May, global weather forecasts seem to suggest India is faced with the prospect of an erratic rainfall, as a result of the waters of the Pacific Ocean warming (known as the El Niño effect). It...

-Responding to Climate Change Forthcoming UN study could reveal median crop yields may fall by up to 2% per decade for the rest of century Scientists are gradually narrowing uncertainty over the impact of climate change on food production, pointing towards a more pessimistic picture. The degree to which people can adapt to climate change is part of a wider debate about the urgency of cutting carbon emissions. Adaptation is especially relevant to agriculture,...

-Live Mint Andhra Pradesh's experience with social audits holds important lessons for the Congress's empowerment agenda At the heart of the Congress party's narrative on the rights-based welfare state is the idea that rights laws, to quote Sonia Gandhi, "put pressure on the executive to be more responsive and accountable" and in doing so bring about an "empowerment revolution". To enable this revolution, rights laws have had built into them procedural...