What is common between Brazil, Russia, India and China? That’s easy. They are the so-called BRIC countries. But, what is common between these BRIC countries and other emerging economies such as Indonesia, Argentina and South Africa? The answer: inequality. This disconcerting connect between these emerging economies is the focus of a report released last week by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the think tank for the club of...

-The Times of India   Inequality in earnings has doubled in India over the last two decades, making it the worst performer on this count of all emerging economies. The top 10% of wage earners now make 12 times more than the bottom 10%, up from a ratio of six in the 1990s. Moreover, wages are not smoothly spread out even through the middle of the distribution. The top 10% of earners make...

The Planning Commission has received a sweeping set of recommendations that proposes free health care and medicines for diverse needs to all Indian citizens, irrespective of economic means. Whether or to what extent the proposals — described as “even bigger” than the UPA’s blockbuster job scheme — will be accepted will depend on the political and executive leadership. If the government throws its weight behind the initiative, it will effectively mean...

-The Hindu   The High Level Expert Group of the Planning Commission on Universal Health Coverage for India has laid out a clear road map: it is to provide access to affordable, accountable, and appropriate health services for all citizens in a meaningful time frame. Free India adopted the goal of preventive and curative care for all, as recommended by the Bhore Committee in 1946. But it faltered and failed to raise...

Health is a state of mental, social and physical well-being and not merely an absence of disease or infirmity. To achieve this noble objective, India requires health care professionals who are trained in institutions with standardised infrastructure, and the availability of accessible and equitable health care for both the rural and urban populace. Recently, the health sector has been in the news — from the creation of a rural based...