-TheWire.in In an interview with The Wire, former secretary to the government of India P.S. Krishnan says economically weaker sections require financial aid, not reservation. P.S. Krishnan, the former secretary to government of India, was one of the crucial people behind the enactment of several historic laws regarding social justice. The current Bill proposed by the government to provide reservation to economically weaker upper castes in jobs and education, he says, violates...

-The Economic Times Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, seeking reelection later this year, has vowed to eradicate extreme poverty by 2021 when the country celebrates 50 years of independence, riding on her success in alleviating poverty and pushing economic growth in a big way during the past decade. Her government has taken several steps to reduce poverty, and by analysing the poverty reduction rate for the past five years, one can expect...

-Livemint.com Ecologist Madhav Gadgil, whose report on Western Ghats was rejected by the Kerala government, on what caused the Kerala floods and how the rebuilding process should be carried out Ernakulam (Kerala): Submitted seven years ago on 31 August 2011, ecologist Madhav Gadgil’s report on the biodiverse Western Ghats—a portion of which falls in Kerala—had warned that the combination of massive ecological destruction and extreme weather events trigger disaster. His words proved...

-Livemint.com It is important to give preference to those approaches that help the poor the most for every rupee spent, no matter how they are labelled Sometimes in life, it is clear that the direct approach isn’t the best one. This is true in many areas, even when it comes to policymaking. Take, as an example, the area of extreme poverty. It seems logical, at first, that the most effective response should...

-OrissaPost.com Bhubaneswar: The state government lost its direction on execution of the biggest rural employment generation scheme–Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). This was indicated in a Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report on local bodies for the year ended March 2017. Briefing media about the findings of the audit report, Accountant General of Orissa Madhumita Basu said, “The per annum average income of the households (HHs) in...