-The Hindu It is the only sector that can create jobs and prevent the economic crisis from deepening In the last two decades, the Indian economy has witnessed a transformational change to emerge as one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Economic reforms unveiled in 1991 have brought about a structural shift enabling the private sector to assume a much larger role in the economy. GDP growth has largely been...

-The Times of India MUMBAI: The urban agglomerations of Mumbai and Delhi, which barely matched up to global cities in size in 1950, are now counted among the seven most populous mega-cities in the world, reveals the 2013 World Population Data Sheet released by the US's Population Reference Bureau on Thursday. Mumbai, in terms of its Mumbai Metropolitan Region (including Navi Mumbai, Thane and Vasai-Virar among other satellite belts), houses around 19.7...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The cabinet gave its nod today to two policies aimed at providing employment and housing to the urban poor. Under the National Urban Livelihood Mission, the government has set aside Rs 6,505 crore to spend on generating employment for the urban poor till 2017. Also, Rs 35,810 crore would be used under the Rajiv Awas Yojana to make housing available to the urban poor by the year 2022. The...

-CivilSocietyOnline.com Kozhikode: Dubai's agriculture minister recently chartered a flight to Kozhikode and, accompanied by a horticulture consultant, headed to the Agriculture Research Station (ARS) at Anakkayam nearby. There the minister, Abdulla Jassim Abdulla M Almarzooqi, placed orders for fruits, spices and ornamental plants. But on his mind was something bigger. He offered free visas and air tickets to the 100 members of the research station's agricultural army, which rather grandly goes...

-The Indian Express Why are we reticent about using techno-industrial solutions to reduce malnutrition? The death of several children from consuming a toxic midday meal in Bihar evoked a great sense of outrage. But this outrage will, in all probability, soon die down. Yet, this tragedy, as many reports show, is the tip of the iceberg. Beneath it lies unseen a story of poor service delivery and a lack of commitment. India...