-The Times of India MUMBAI: Indians approaching their silver innings seem most worried about their ability to foot their medical expenses in future, found an online survey. Respondents above 45 years rated high out-of-pocket spending on health above fears about physical and mental wellbeing. While life expectancy is up, thanks to medical advances, this generation is more likely to be living their sunset years alone as the young migrate for work. "As they...

-The Hindu   When an electoral system structurally discriminates against particular categories such as persons with disabilities, it is tantamount to a failure of the democracy as a whole The citizens of India are in the process of casting their votes in what is being widely hailed as the largest election in human history. By sheer size, the 16th Lok Sabha elections signal a triumph not only for India, but for democratic exercises...

-Down to Earth One-third of India's population are migrants, but the country is yet to make a policy or plan for them, says collaborative study report by Institute of Social Sciences and UNICEF As many as 309 million people, nearly a third of India's population, were migrants according to the 2001 Census. But the only ‘right' which they are able to exercise is the one that allows all citizens the right to...

-Live Mint Economic transformation calls into question whether family-based support will continue over the next century Many of India’s growing elderly population face serious financial challenges. It is imperative that India institute a long-term strategy to strengthen the economic security of the elderly. While steps have been taken to provide pension security for some citizens, India still has a very long way to go to prepare for the future.   As a very...

A new report entitled Improving Access to Finance for Women-owned Businesses in India (2014), jointly produced by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Government of Japan, underlines the importance of lending to women-owned micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)* in India (see the link below). It discusses the problem of accessing finance faced by women entrepreneurs despite them having stronger repayment track records vis-à-vis men (non-performing loans are 30 to...