It would have been dismal if the low expectations for the United Nations climate change conference at Cancún had not been exceeded. This weekend’s unexpected, last-minute accord from nearly 200 countries will not save the planet. Huge obstacles remain. Nonetheless, the meeting produced the first UN-adopted pact to cut carbon emissions since Kyoto in 1997. Cancún was a success, albeit a modest one.It is not surprising that there is no...

It seems that the survey to identify the BPL families in the state will be an unending process. Now, the Union Government's plan to start a comprehensive survey of BPL families in the country has affected the state's efforts to complete the survey of BPL families.Earlier, the state government had to abandon the survey carried out by the Kudumbashree workers in 2008 following widespread irregularities. The government had decided to...

Appreciating the country's commitment towards universalising health coverage for the people, health economist Robert Yates has said the country needs to increase its public spending on health either by health insurance schemes or taxation.“The entire exercise of constituting a high-level expert group on universal health coverage that India has undertaken has been done at an appropriate time when the economy is growing and the country is getting wealthier as a...

Union Minister for Labour and Employment Mallikarjun Kharge said the major challenge facing India today was that of the unorganised sector. He was speaking at the second World Social Security Summit organised by the International Social Security Association in Capetown, South Africa, on Friday. Mr. Kharge is heading a six-member high-level delegation from India, which held discussions with several Labour Ministers of the nearly 120 countries participating in the meet. Mr. Kharge...

The home ministry is opposing a proposal by the rural development ministry to merge a census to identify families living below the poverty line with the caste census, raising the possibility of a conflict between two key ministries. “We have objected to the move as it would lead to many complications,” said a home ministry official. The rural development ministry had recommended carrying out the two enumerations simultaneously to accelerate the process...