-Live Mint Reducing poverty through growth matters more than reducing inequality Income inequality is back on the radar of politicians and policymakers, if it had disappeared in the first place. The World Economic Forum's Global Risks 2014 report highlighted severe income inequality as one of the top 10 global risks. In a speech in London on Monday, Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), paid special attention to...

-The Hindu     The 13.1 per cent rate of unemployment in the 15-24 years age-group globally is more than twice that among the adult population. With one million more young people joining the ranks of the jobless in 2013, the world's youth are facing a disproportionate burden, says the latest report of the International Labour Organisation. The Global Employment Trends report 2014 also records slow progress of late in reducing levels of vulnerable...

-The Times of India The Planning Commission periodically revises the poverty line at the all-India and state levels based on large household expenditure surveys of the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO). These are typically once in five years. The figures of Rs 10.8 per capita per day in Gujarat's rural areas and Rs 16.7 in urban areas are based on the Planning Commission determined state-specific poverty line based on NSSO data for...

-PTI Agriculture and wetlands in India and the rest of the world should be managed in unison to tackle poverty and conserve ecosystems, says a new report. Around six per cent of the world's landmass is classified as either permanent or seasonal wetland. Millions of people directly depend on them for food, water, and other purposes. Researchers estimate that wetlands are worth around USD 70 billion globally each year. However, these areas also face...

-Down to Earth UPA gives sops under MGNREGS to attract rural voters ahead of elections WITH most of its recent schemes struggling, a desperate UPA government is pinning its hopes on Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to win votes in 2014 elections. The government is overhauling the employment scheme that helped it return to power in 2009 for a reason. It touches the lives of over 55 per cent...