India among least developed, reports UNDP
About one-third of the newly born children in India are underweight, one-fifth of the population is undernourished and over 70 per cent of the population in the country has no access to adequate sanitation - reveals Human Development Report (HDR) 2004, in a way slamming the India Shining campaign and …
Rs 56 lakh sanctioned for Cachar
An amount of Rs 56 lakh has been sanctioned for Cachar district for implementation of the employment generating scheme - Kalpataru - meant for the people living below poverty line, an official press release said.
NAC to meet today, discuss education, agriculture
The National Advisory Council, which is meeting for the first time tomorrow, would discuss issues relating to education, agriculture and employment. Various members of the high-profile Council are expected to present their ideas on these aspects at the meeting, to be chaired by the Congress party president Sonia Gandhi. The …
Keep it in the plural
Among the various themes that make up the broad spectrum of what can be loosely termed as "human development', pluralism is not the most obvious. Indeed, several nation-states have demonstrated a marked impatience in dealing with the complexities of managing diverse populations and have opted for a one-size-fits-all approach to …
The human under-development
The just-releated Human Development Report places India at 127 out of 177 countries ranked by bthe United Nations on a combination of income and social parameters. Only the most jingoistic of Indians would draw any solace from the fact that some of the country's South Asian neighbours are ranked even …
CMIE sees 6.3% growth
Despite concerns over the progress of the monsoon, the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) on Thursday said the economy would grow at 6.3 per cent in 2004-05. As projected in April 2004, the agriculture sector is expected to grow at 2.7 per cent, industry at 6.4 per cent, while …
India stuck at 127th position in HDI
India maintained its 127th in the human development index rankings released by the United Nations Development Programme yesterday. The index value improved to 0.595 in 2002 from 0.579 in 2000 and reflected general progress. The human development index (HDI) is a composite measure of average achievement in three basic dimensions …
Pluralism tops in India, says UNDP report
The latest report card for the planet is just out. The news for India is mixed. The bad news is that India continues to languish in the Human Development Index (HDI) rankings at 127 out of 177 countries, unchanged from last year, according to the Human Development Report 2004 released. …
CMIE confident of 6.3 pc GDP despite slow monsoon
Despite concerns over the progress of monsoon, Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) said Indian economy would grow at 6.3 per cent in 2004-05. As projected in April, the agriculture sector is expected to grow at 2.7 per cent, industry at 6.4 per cent while services sector would see a …
Kalam unveils multipronged plan for rural development
The President, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, today unveiled a multipronged plan of ushering in 'Rural Prosperity through Connectivity (RUPCON)' and suggested setting up 'ten immediate missions' to achieve the goals of rural development in Andhra Pradesh. Addressing the members of the Assembly, Mr. Kalam said his three- tier RUPCON …
Centre releases Rs 205 cr for State under SGRY
The Centre has released an amount of Rs 205.51 crore to Assam State under the SGRY scheme. This follows the Rs 265.98 crore released some days back, and the total amount received from the Centre as first instalment for rural development now stands at Rs 471.50 crore during the current …
Budget impact: Imported cars dented, prices to go up by Rs 40,000
Buyers of some imported top-end premium cars and SUVs can mourn. Standard price tags of Rs 14-20 lakh may change. Some manufacturers plan to pass on the additional burden to customers. Others won't take that risk right now, but rather sulk and bear the pain. With Chidambaram's Budget, the effective …
Corruption decentralised
Madhya Pradesh Government plans to amend Panchayati Raj Act to prevent financial irregularities. According to NGOs, working in rural areas, only 50 per cent of the nomeny meant for development projects gets utilised in the three tiers of local self-government - gram panchayat at the village level, janpad panchayat at …
Apt focus on power, water
While the Budget 2004-05 broadly lays emphasis on such critical areas as agriculture and fiscal aspects, it has at the same time, clearly recognised infrastructure as an important ingredient for growth. The intent of 'Electricity for all' and 'Drinking water for all' are clearly the highlights. One of the key …
Renewed focus on urban, rural water supply
A revamp of irrigation infrastructure, restoration of water bodies and a renewed focus on urban and rural water supply were the key initiatives announced by the Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, in his Budget. Mr Chidambaram described restoring water bodies as one of his "big dreams" and announced a pilot …
Survey hints at bold moves to sustain growth
A day before the Union Budget 2004-05, the Finance Ministry has made a rather bullish prognosis of the economy even while hinting at hard fiscal measures and "bold actions" to consolidate the current "growth momentum." "The economy appears to be in a resilient mode in terms of growth, inflation and …
Indira Sagar project turns profitable within three months
In a noteworthy achievement, Narmada Hydroelectric Development Corporation (NHDC) has registered a profit in the first three months of the partial commissioning of its power project at Indira Sagar in Madhya Pradesh. The company posted a profit of Rs 12.37 crore for the January-March 2004 period on a turnover of …
15 new distts to come under vikas yojana: PM
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said Planning Commission has identified 13 districts in Bihar and two in Orissa for coverage under the backward districts initiative component of the Rashtriya Sam Vikas Yojana. Intervening during question hour in Lok Sabha, he said, "the previous government when drawing up this programme …
