Only a process of reverse migration based on the Gandhian model can save India’s cities, and also rural India.  A report prepared by the United Nations Development Programme reveals that in India’s big cities more than 40 per cent of the people live in slums. Some of them have reasonable levels of income, but cannot afford other housing. For many reasons including the population load, slums are unhygienic. It is...

The quarterly Survey of Professional Forecasters conducted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) revised India's gross domestic product growth downwards to 6 per cent for 2009-10 from 6.5 per cent in the previous round of the survey. However, the survey has estimated that corporate profits are set to rise in the current fiscal. According to the RBI, the highest probability of 37.5 per cent is assigned to growth range...

After strong protest from civil society organisations, the government has admitted that it is considering amending the Right to Information (RTI) Act. It has, however, assured activists that a transparent and consultative process will be adopted before any action is taken, and the amendments will not be persevered with if activist groups are able to convince the government that they are either unnecessary or counterproductive. These assurances notwithstanding, it is...

The Chennai Corporation will soon commission a study on the household and livelihood profile of 422 slums across the city. While it is to effectively implement the schemes funded under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, the data would also help the civic body assess other welfare measures for those living in slums. The Corporation will float tenders inviting agencies to conduct the survey for gathering the details, including...

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged Sunday to spend more on health care and education and make it easier for foreign investors to participate in India’s $1.2 trillion economy, one of the fastest growing in the world. At a World Economic Forum meeting in New Delhi, Mr. Singh said that public sector spending on health care would more than double to 2.5 percent of gross domestic product, and education spending would...