-The World Bank STORY HIGHLIGHTS In the early 2000s, it was found that the causes of stagnant infant and maternal mortality rates in Tamil Nadu identified the lack of reliable, low cost, and accessible emergency transportation In September 2008, the Government of Tamil Nadu in partnership with GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI) launched the free 108 emergency transportation service in the state. ...
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Universal pension for Indians -Kenneth Apfel
-Live Mint Economic transformation calls into question whether family-based support will continue over the next century Many of India’s growing elderly population face serious financial challenges. It is imperative that India institute a long-term strategy to strengthen the economic security of the elderly. While steps have been taken to provide pension security for some citizens, India still has a very long way to go to prepare for the future. As a very...
More »Women entrepreneurs face constraints in accessing finance
A new report entitled Improving Access to Finance for Women-owned Businesses in India (2014), jointly produced by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Government of Japan, underlines the importance of lending to women-owned micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)* in India (see the link below). It discusses the problem of accessing finance faced by women entrepreneurs despite them having stronger repayment track records vis-à-vis men (non-performing loans are 30 to...
More »India's right to health-Nitin Desai
-The Business Standard The Congress party's suggested right to health, if implemented, would be a game-changer This is the season for party manifestos with their vague and quite unexciting promises. But in this sea of platitudes, sometimes something stands out that is worth talking about, because, if implemented, it would be a game-changer. For me this is the reported inclusion of the right to health in the Congress party's manifesto. It is well...
More »Parties must adopt an agenda that guarantees women their rights -Jayanthi Natarajan
-The Hindustan Times The women's reservation Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010 but has not yet been passed in the Lok Sabha. No other legislation in our democratic history has been discussed for so many years (15 years) without being passed or rejected. Such a delay has happened even though major parties support the Bill and there are 1.2-1.5 million women who hold elected office at the local level...
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