The robust 9 per cent –plus growth in South Asia till 2010, driven largely by India, where it came down to around 7 per cent in 2011-12, had one major qualifier: it was mostly associated with a rapid rise in labour productivity rather than an expansion in employment, according to the latest report Global Employment Trends from International Labour Office. Up until the end of the millennium, that is just a...

High inflation and moderate economic growth seem to have taken away the "feel good" factor for many Indians. Gallup's Financial Wellbeing Index, released on Monday, showed that 31% of Indians rated their present and future lives as "suffering" compared to 24% in 2011. Similarly, only around 13% said that they are "thriving" compared to 21% a year ago. The biggest jump in the "suffering lot" is in the middle 20% population, where...

Speaking at an international workshop on Equity and Climate Change, held on April 12, the minister for environment and forests, Jayanthi Natarajan, sought to build a consensus on the inter-relationship between equity and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities in the Climate Convention, and the nature of the obligations they entail in the new arrangement that is to be negotiated. By focusing on a technical definition of equity the approach...

-The Hindu ‘Most cancer deaths are preventable if detected early' Contrary to the perception that cancer mortality is higher in Urban areas, a recent study published in The Lancet said the death rate is similar in both urban and rural areas. The study, pointing to an interpretation that literacy can prevent cancer deaths, said mortality rates were two times higher in the least-educated than in the most-educated adults. Conducted between 2001 and 2003 —...

But non-farm income keeps economy afloat   New Delhi, April 25: The rural growth story is slowly losing sheen because of inflation and rising input costs. In fact, rural price level is higher than urban price level. The March Consumer Price Index number for rural India stood at 116.3, while that for urban India stood at 114.6. Mr Ajay Sriram, Chairman and Senior Managing Director, DCM Sriram Consolidated Ltd, says the rural growth...