-The Indian Express This year's edition of the Human Development Report contains a set of practical recommendations The 2014 Human Development Report (HDR) draws attention to the urgent need to address human vulnerabilities and build resilience as conditions for accelerating and sustaining progress. Human insecurity stems from not only low and uncertain incomes, but from many other sources, including inadequate access to health, food and shelter, unsafe environments, and inadequate protection of...

-The Hindustan Times Geneva/ New Delhi: India told the World Trade Organisation on Friday it will only back a worldwide reform of customs rules - the so-called trade facilitation agreement (TFA) - if its demands on rules for government-driven food procurement and welfare schemes are implemented in the same timeframe. "India is of the view that the TFA must be implemented only as part of a single undertaking including the permanent solution...

-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: India is likely to push for an extension of the July 31 deadline for signing of trade facilitation protocol to get its food security concerns addressed in the meantime. The Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take the final call on India's stand on the Bali package on Thursday. India has said that it will not sign the protocol of the trade facilitation...

-Down to Earth Blog The performance of nutrition indicators amongst Dalits is improving, it is nowhere near the catch-up pace Does a new government and a strong Prime Minister claiming to hail from the backward caste augur Achche Din for Dalits too? We hope so! But political commitment-or lack of it-has multiple manifestations. In a deeply stratified society like India with entrenched elitism, people from the Scheduled Caste (referred to as Dalits...

-Outlook India To the social subsidy whiners, please check corporate write-offs column The TV anchor asked eagerly of Arun Jaitley whether he would take hard decisions or, in the case of a bad drought, revert to loan waivers and (obviously wasteful) subsidies. The finance minister replied that it depended on the situation as it unfolded but he hoped he wouldn't have to return to such steps. "We hope so too," said...