-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Almost one in every three toilets built in rural areas are unsafe on health and sanitation parameters, a sample survey on the technologies under the Swachh Bharat Mission has shown. It has also found that nearly 60% of these toilets are twin-leach pits, which the government has been promoting under Swachh Bharat Mission considering that these are safer. The survey by WaterAid, an international non-profit- published...

-The Hindu Studies on the Swachh Bharat Mission don’t confirm the government’s claims On October 2, 2017, the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) completed its third year. Over Rs. 60,000 crore has been spent on the programme, but despite its scope and importance, there is very little objective evidence about its performance So far the numbers that have been widely cited by the government are from its own administrative data and the Swachh Survekshan...

-The Hindu We need to revisit the credit policy with a focus on the outreach of banks and financial inclusion Since Independence, one of the primary objectives of India’s agricultural policy has been to improve farmers’ access to institutional credit and reduce their dependence on informal credit. As informal sources of credit are mostly usurious, the government has improved the flow of adequate credit through the nationalisation of commercial banks, and the...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: At least 62% of under-construction housing projects across 50 cities are delayed, while the percentage for delayed flats/apartments stands slightly higher at 64%, recent analysis by a real estate research firm has found. According to data accessed by 'Fight for RERA', the umbrella body of flat buyers, from research firm Liases Forras, nearly 30% of underconstruction apartments are delayed by two or more years. "Flats or houses...

-The Hindu On the need for action-oriented research in development policy A whole new way of looking at poverty and development policy is taking shape in the world of economics. Traditionally understood as meagreness of material resources, there is a growing realisation that poverty also depletes mental resources. Understanding of how poverty impacts behaviour, what the absence of resources does to a person’s mindset can vitaminise the poverty-fighting policy toolkit. Insights, well-designed qualitative...