-First Post In an interview with Firstpost, Ajay Chhibber, Regional Director of the UNDP, tells us why India ranks low on the Human Development Index, below China, Sri Lanka and Iran, what we need to do to improve our standing and why welfare schemes are not to be blamed for poor growth or inflation. Excerpts from the interview: * Why does India lag other BRIC countries in the HDI ratings? Compared to the other...
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MNREGS killing entrepreneurial spirit of rural AP, says study
-The Times of India HYDERABAD: The UPA government's petprogramme - the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) - may have been started with the objective of securing the livelihood of the residents of rural India by providing assured employment for 100 days in a year, but has ended up choking the entrepreneurial spirit in the hinterlands ofAndhra Pradesh. These are the findings of a study conducted by a faculty of...
More »Dent in anti-poverty scheme due to NREGS: report
-The Hindu Hyderabad: An anti-poverty project to transform the lives of ultra poor families has failed to make an impact and increase the net income of the targeted families in Medak district in the State at the end of four years. The project sponsored by the World Bank and the Ford Foundation was aimed at graduating 426 households from extreme poverty to a more stable state by enabling them establish micro-enterprises through...
More »People, The Real Estate-Pragya Singh
-Outlook A new land acquisition bill readies for budget session. How will it fare? Bill Of Blights Defines “public purpose” too broadly, allows govt to acquire land for PPPs Less landowner consent required for PPPs than private-only projects The bill’s compensation norms likely to face strict challenges in the courts States have been given R&R powers but could lead to arbitrary outcomes Doesn’t consider govt projects where compensation, R&R are neglected *** The...
More »Understanding FDI in Retail: What Can Economic Principles Teach Us? -Abhirup Sarkar
-Economic and Political Weekly The recent debate on the acceptability of foreign direct investment in the retail sector in India has been mostly political. It is necessary to look into the pros and cons of FDI in retail from a purely economic point of view. This article identifi es the safeguards that should be undertaken before allowing giant multinationals to function in the country. Abhirup Sarkar (abhirup@isical.ac.in) is with the Indian Statistical...
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