-The United Nations The United Nations today launched the Zero Hunger Challenge in Asia and the Pacific, calling on governments, farmers, scientists, business, civil society and consumers to work together to end hunger in the region where the majority of the world's undernourished people live. "Sustainable development and Inclusive growth will not happen on empty stomachs," said Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the...

-Live Mint Manmohan Singh urges on effective decentralization of administrative powers to ensure Inclusive growth Acknowledging that India's attempts to devolve power to local self-government units have not been successful, Prime MinisterManmohan Singh on Wednesday urged the effective decentralization of administrative powers to ensure Inclusive growth. In a speech to mark the 20th anniversary of the 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Constitution-notified on 24 April 1993-Singh called on various arms of the...

-The Hindu     ‘Crorepati'-politicians wear their wealth like a badge of honour Bangalore: With the new breed of "crorepati"-politicians wearing their wealth like a badge of honour, the old slogans of "Garibi Hatao" (remove poverty) have become passé. The rise in the prominence of moneybags from real estate, the private education sector, and industry in the city's political landscape has not only deflected social issues but it has also changed the benchmark for a...

-The Times of India Some 20 months after hotly contesting data on UPA-1's "jobless growth", the government has admitted to lack of substantial increase in employment between 2004-05 and 2009-2010, with the self-employed workforce shrinking from 56.4% to 50.7% of the total workforce. In absolute numbers, the self-employed decreased from 258.4 million to 232.7 million in this period while regular salaried workers rose from 69.7 million to 75.1 million. The ranks of...

-PTI Washington: World Bank President Jim Yong Kim has praised the cash transfer programmes being implemented by several countries as an effective way to help the poor and reduce poverty. Without naming India, which is one of the countries implementing the cash transfer programme, Jim described the scheme as an important step towards Inclusive growth. He was speaking at the ‘Fiscal Policy, Equity and Long-Term Growth in Developing Countries Conference' held at...