Attempts by the Indian government to combat poverty are not working, according to the World Bank. The governing coalition spends billions of dollars - more than 2% of its gross domestic product - on helping the poor. But a new World Bank report says aid programmes are beset by corruption, bad administration and under-payments. As an example, the report cites grain: only 40% of grain handed out for the poor reaches its intended...

A World Bank review of India’s social sector programmes has suggested a smaller public distribution system with more cash transfer, reworking of NREGA as a public works programme for urban areas and finally, a social security package including health care for those without regular employment. The report titled ‘Social Protection for a Changing India’, was commissioned by the Planning Commission. The bank said the three-pillar approach should be combined with social...

-BBC   India's cabinet has approved a proposal for a survey to identify people living below the poverty line, which also redefines what constitutes poverty. It will classify the rural poor into "destitutes, manual scavengers and primitive tribal groups". Urban poor will be defined as those in vulnerable shelters, low-paid jobs and homes headed by women or children. The survey, to be conducted alongside a caste census later this year, will help identify those...

India spends more on programs for the poor than most developing countries, but it has failed to eradicate poverty because of widespread corruption and faulty government administration, the World Bank said Wednesday. “India is not getting the ‘bang for the rupee’ that its significant expenditure would seem to warrant, and the needs of important population groups remain only party addressed,” John D. Blomquist, lead economist at the World Bank, wrote in...

Stating that the radio was a vital medium for the dissemination of information among farmers, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar urged farmers to make the maximum utilisation of the collective radio station concept. He was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of two such radio stations launched in Barh and Birauli towns in Patna and Samastipur districts. Lauding the efforts of the State Agriculture Department in realising the concept, he said that the...