The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
The Amritsar Municipal Corporation, Punjab sanitation machinery including tractors, trucks and loaders, though outlived its utility years ago, but is still plying on roads, causing pollution. The machinery comprising around 51 tractors and 14 trucks and loaders ought to have been condemned long ago and replaced by new ones, but …
Scientists are now using butterflies as indicators to monitor changes in the environment of lower western Himalayas. "Butterflies have been identified as good indicators of environment variation as they are sensitive to any change in their habitats, atmosphere, local weather, and climate," says Arun P Singh, a scientist at the …
Life will never be quite the same for the men of Muktipad village in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Their wives and daughters, who for generations stayed indoors without voice or influence, now dominate the village square. The World Bank, which recently provided a second $150m loan for …
NGOs and the government have always been considered the key movers of social and economic development. To understand the equation between them, a study was conducted recently by a group of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students.The study focussed on the villages of Khojawada, Balicha, Margia Phala and Pareda in Rajasthan's …
Sunlight can convert triclosan, a common disinfectant used in anti-bacterial soaps, into a form of dioxin and this process may produce some of the dioxin found in the environment, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota. The researchers said that although the dioxin was a relatively benign form, treating …
Amidst fervent pleas by the Members belonging to the North-East, Finance Minister, Jaswant Singh today assured to review the proposal to withdraw the excise duty exemption on certain products but stopped short of making any firm commitment. A demand for withdrawal of cess on tea was also turned down. But …
Assam Minister of Urban Development Hem Prakash Narayan has declared that the urban areas of Assam state will not longer be allowed to grow in a haphazard manner and action will be taken before they become 'unfit' for habitation. The Minister said this during the inauguration of a seminar on …
India's ranking has improved by ruine places to 48th position in the 2002-03 global competitiveness index of the World Economic Forum (WEF). Outgoing CII president Ashok Sota said India's position has jumped to 57th from 65th in technology competitiveness while in network readiness, it has significantly improved its ranking to …
The export of fish and fish products from India is not a post-Independence phenomenon. Fish export statistics are available from mid-nineteenth century onwards. Princely states like Travancore and Cochin had vibrant export trade. Dried fish and prawns, fish oil, shark fins, sea cucumber, fishmeal
China will embark on a nationwide emissions trading programme in 2005, in an attempt to make its major cities pollution-free. A 1998 World Health Organization report placed seven Chinese cities among the 10 most polluted cities in the world. Under the proposed scheme, the government will set emission targets each …
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has projected 6 per cent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate for India for 2003 despite Iraq war and fallout of SARS. India will be outpacing the growth of many of the other countries in the Asian region, barring China, which is expected to grow …
The Planning Commission today finalized the annual plan size of Assam at Rs 1,780 crore for 2003-04. The plan size was decided at a meeting between Planning Commission Deputy Charman K C Pant and Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.
April 26 has been observed as World Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) have much wider definition, IPRs may range from rights over new innovations to community rights over traditional wisdom and national and regional rights over produces and products of geographical innovations. Ever since the launch of the World Trade Organisation …
The Uttaranchal Government will soon announce its new industrial policy, the State's Principal Secretary for Industries, Mr S Krishnan, has said. "The state government was considering the suggestions received from representatives of industry while finalising the policy," he said during a meeting with members of the PHD Chamber of Commerce …
The World Bank has announced a $112.56 million development project for Chhattisgarh to improve the living standards of thousands of households in rural areas. The Chhattisgarh District Rural Poverty Project, designed to support the poverty alleviation strategy of the state government, would generate income for rural commodities, the bank said …
The Centre's most significant rural employment and poverty eradication initiative - Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna (SGSY) - is far short of its stated objective. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has found "large scale diversions, misutilisation and parking of funds" curtailing the actual funding for the programme, which was launched …
With an objective of transforming Andhra Pradesh in Swarnandhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu introduced several administrative reform initiatives to achieve the goals enshrined in Vision-2020 document.The first step towards this direction was introduction of the concept of Smart government.SMART means -Simple, Moral, Accountable, Responsive and Transparent.
Food and Public Distribution Minister Sharad Yadav admitted in the Lok Sabha that there was some delay in the introduction of new norms for the bottled water in the country.
The Maharashtra government wants a one-time grant of Rs 1,000 crores to meet liabilities in the state, showing that it is in bad shape financially. The government of Maharashtra has submitted a memorandum to the Union government to help the state to meet the financial crisis. It has sought a …
Karnataka's annual plan size for the current fiscal has been fixed at Rs 9,620 crore including an additional Central assistance of Rs 36.27 crore for special schemes. This was decided at a meeting here between the Planning Commission Deputy Chairman, Mr K.C. Pant and the State Chief Minister, Mr S.M. …
