TARN TARAN, India—India's northern state of Punjab was once a symbol of the nation's economic progress, its advances in agriculture lauded world-wide as a spectacular feat that made India self-sufficient in food production. But Punjab today faces a grave economic crisis, the result of years of shoddy governance that have stunted growth and created such a mound of public debt that the state is now seeking a multibillion dollar bailout from...

Some time before the Manmohan Singh regime imploded in the mass of corruption scandals that are currently regaling television audiences, Manish Tiwari, the Congress member of parliament and spokesperson, was participating in a televised programme on political parties and their attitudes to corruption. Someone asked why the Congress had given a parliamentary ticket to Mohammed Azharuddin, the former Indian cricket captain found guilty of match-fixing and banned for life from...

Over a dozen students of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences today boycotted their annual convocation while others handed badges that read “No to Nuclear Energy” to chief guest Jairam Ramesh in protest against the Jaitapur power project. A group of 22 students, who had visited the seven villages in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district that will be affected by the 9,900MW nuclear plant, also presented the environment minister with a fact file...

An additional 3 billion Asians could enjoy higher living standards, but only if Asia sustains its present growth momentum and addresses the challenges and risks facing the region, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said in a new report on Wednesday. The draft report says that as the global economy's center of gravity shifts toward Asia, the region could account for about half of global output in 2050, up from the...

A LEAFY VILLAGE in Kerala, Pathanpara, never found access to India’s electricity grid. That is why for the last several years, this village has been generating its own electricity. Raju, a dhoti-clad cashew nut farmer, operates Pathanpara’s five kilowatt (KW) micro hydropower plant. He lives in the village and earns a salary of Rs 2,250, paid by the People’s Electricity Committee (PEC). The power generated is shared equally by the village,...