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MD Writes...
There is an
interesting
phenomenon
that has been
happening –
silently, quietly and yet
strongly. Whether its Egypt or
India, we see civil society and
individual citizens standing up
for good governance.
From midnight vigils to
signature campaigns, from
fasts to silent marches, they
are asserting a right,
spreading an awareness and
making a change that few
could have thought possible.
However, what is needed is
for civil society to stand with,
and not only against the
government.
At IPE, we work to link the
needs of government with the
aspirations of social
organisations ensuring a
win-win situation. Whether its
urban slums, rural schemes or
service delivery, communities
and governments must come
together to deliver. Then only
can truly inclusive
development take place.
- Ashwajit Singh
World Bank Reviews SocialProtection Schemes in India
Few things are as complicated as poverty in India.
Despite spending over 2% of its GDP on social protection
schemes, India's efforts at reducing poverty have had
limited impact as it continues to house one-third of the
world's poor!
These are some of the findings from a 7 year
comprehensive study done by the World Bank on 'Social
Protection for a Changing India' released on 18 May
2011. The report reviews performance of major central
social protection schemes and complemented with
another study on 'The perspectives of Poverty in India'
(World Bank, 2011) makes the following observations on
India's efforts to address poverty:
There has been steady progress in reducing
poverty as measured by consumption
Even so, vulnerability remains high with new
sources emerging and diversity of needs among
the poor increasing
Data issues cloud the assertion of growth being
pro-poor in the post-reform period
Despite spending significant resources on its core
safety net programs, poverty reduction has been
much lower than could be hoped for
The main driver of poor cost effectiveness is the
Editorial
Dear All
This edition of INSPIRE
pitches the happy news of
reducing IMR with the sharp
challenges of poverty and
social protection in India.
Despite being the first priority
of the MDGs, poverty in India
has remained an enigma,
wrapped in a riddle, perhaps
hidden in a mystery. It
presents a complex cauldron
of economic, social and
political issues which brew a
form of 'sustained' poverty in
the country. From bean
counting the poor to policy
reforms and inclusive growth,
India is the poverty test case
whose success could well
determine the direction of
global achievements.
After all, development needs
to move on from merely
'reducing mortality' to
eventuallly 'enhancing quality'
of lives!
Do keep writing in to us. Stay
Inspired. Stay Ahead!!
- Abdul Rahim &
Preethi Thomas
Public Distribution System (PDS)
Urban and non-farm growth are emerging as
new drivers of poverty reduction and need to be
included in the plans
The targeted Health Insurance scheme - Rashtriya
Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) is the most
promising effort
Inequality is on the rise and may be higher than
often thought
The specific proposal of this report is that over time India
should aim for a “3 +block” strategy. This would involve
three core Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) or
“pillars”, combined with a block grant from which states
could finance other safety net or social security
programs.
Coming in the backdrop of the 2011 Below Poverty Line
(BPL) census which is being conducted from June -
December 2011, the reports highlight often overlooked
challenges which may be useful even for the Twelfth 5
year Plan preparations.
SOCIAL PROTECTION FOR
A CHANGING INDIA
World Bank, 2011
Vol 1 - Main Summary
(92 pp, 1.4 MB)
Vol 2 - Detailed Report
(320 pp, 6.0 MB)
PERSPECTIVES ON
POVERTY IN INDIA:
Stylized Facts from Survey
Data
World Bank, 2011
Download Report here
(296 pp, 3.8 MB)
So, how many in India are poor?
Surprisingly, there is no clear answer to this. Current norms of calorific consumption laid down by the
Planning Commission are not only outdated as brought out in this article, but have also been questioned
by the Supreme Court. The current data about poverty in India is as follows:
The last survey based figure from the National Sample Survey (2004-05) pegs poverty at 27.5%
The Arjun Sengupta Report (2007) concluded that 70% of India lives on less than Rs.20 per day
World Bank estimated (2008) it at 41.6% based on the international norm of $1.25 per day
The Tendulkar Panel Report (2009), accepted by the Planning Commission, puts it at 37.2%
The N C Saxena Expert Committee (2009) concluded that poverty was closer to 50% and
The Multi Dimensional Poverty Index used in HDR (2010) assessed it at 55%.
Another way of looking at poverty is to understand the hunger index in India. The Global Hunger Index
(GHI) 2010 Report published by the International Food Policy Research Institute ranked India at 67
among 84 countries. The Indian State Hunger Index (2009 Report) covering 17 states and 95% of Indian
population also provides an insight into hunger profile in india.
India's IMRreduces to 50!According to the SRS Bulletin
January 2011, Infant
Mortality Rate (IMR) in India
has decreased significantly
from 53 (in 2008) to 50 (in
2009). Rural IMR declined
from 58 to 55 while urban IMR
reduced from 36 to 34.
Similarly birthrate improved
(from 22.8 to 22.5) and death
rate (from 7.4 to 7.3) during
the period. The earlier SRS
Bulletin was for 2008 and
RBI releases StateFinances ReviewThe Reserve Bank of India
has released it's study titled
State Finances : A Study of
Budgets for 2010-11
recently. The report contains
data, analysis and
assessment of State
government finances and
although it observes
corrections in key fiscal
indicators, it voices concern
over the quality of such
New study toassess BlackMoneyAmid mounting pressure , the
Union Finance Ministry
announced an in-depth study
to quantify the unaccounted
income and wealth in India
and suggest ways to detect
and prevent such practices in
future. The study will be
undertaken by three national
institutions i.e. National
Council for Applied Economic
issued in October 2009. Time
Series data on some
demographic indicators is
available here and can also
be viewed through this
dynamic Google Chart.
World Bankapproves NGRBPOn 31 May 2011, the World
Bank's Board approved $1
Billion support ($199 million
interest-free IDA credit and
$801 million low-interest IBRD
loan) for the National Ganga
River Basin Project in India.
The funding will, over the next
8 years, help strengthen
capacity of the just formed
National Ganga River Basin
Authority and implement
demonstrative investments for
reducing point-source
pollution at priority locations
on the Ganga. Read more
about the project here.
IndianUrbanisationChallengesIndia is rapidly urbanising and
adjustments. This report also
includes a special section on
'Role of Finance
Commissions' and the
complete report with state
specific annexes is available
here.
RegulatingOver-use ofAntibiotics!India's Union Health Ministry
has formalised a draft
National Policy for
Containment of Antibiotic
Resistance to curb irrational
use of antibiotics which
promotes resistance
developing against them,
hence making it ineffective.
The Policy includes
recommendations for a
separate schedule for
antibiotics, hospital
surveillance for monitoring
antibiotic resistance and
encouraging rational drug
use. Read a press article on
this.
NREGA for
Research (NCEAR), National
Institute of Public Finance and
Policy (NIPFP) and National
Institute of Financial
Management (NIFM). Read
Press Release.
Battling for thegirl childOn May 24, 2011 Lancet
released a series of papers
highlighting selective sex
determination in India which
shockingly is more prevalent
in the affluent and educated
groups. The Lancets' 'Trends
in selective abortions of girls
in India' review this and asks
whether India can at all
'achieve a balance of sexes at
birth'? A similar article in EPW
on 'Long battle for the girl
child' reviews effectiveness of
the ban on pre-natal sex
determination and also has
disappointing results.
ADB invests inClimate ChangeTechnology VCs
its urban population is
expected to reach 600 million
by 2031. From the current
expenditure levels, this will
mean an increase in urban
infrastructure investment from
0.7% of GDP to 1.1% by
2031-32. Complementing this
finding, Amitabh Kundu
analyses the 'Politics of Urban
Growth' (EPW, May 14, 2011)
and how India must gear up to
address these in the Twelfth
Five year plan and beyond.
Six Thinking HatsSix Thinking Hats is a thinking
framework popularized by
Edward de Bono, a world-
renowned author of dozens of
books on creative and lateral
thinking. In the last 25 years,
this method has been
adopted by organisations
around the world as an aid for
individual and group decision-
making and other problem-
solving applications. Here are
some articles to use this
effectively to improve your
thinking as well as in public
speaking.
Climate ChangeThis EPW paper (May 14,
2011) attempts to assess the
environmental implications of
activities under the National
Rural Employment Guarantee
Act (NREGA). By reviewing
works such as plantations,
water recharge and water
bodies development being
done under NREGA in
Chitradurga district of
Karnataka, it concludes that
NREGA is a powerful model
for aligning climate change
concerns with poverty
reduction in India. Read paper
here
DFID Action PlansreleasedOn 31 May 2011, DFID
released its 4 year
Country-wise Operational
Plans outlining the results
they will deliver. The plan for
India is yet to be uploaded -
others are available here.
Meanwhile, on 25 May 2011,
US President Barack Obama
and UK Prime Minister David
Cameron made a joint
Commitment to accelerating
progress towards the MDGs
through a series of UK -US
initiatives as brought out in
this Joint fact sheet.
The Asian Development Bank
announced that it is investing
$60 million to help set up
three Venture Capital funds
dedicated to nurturing new
climate change technologies.
The funds - Aloe Environment
Fund III, Keytone Ventures II,
and VenturEast Life Fund III -
will raise further funds from
the private sector and target
markets of China and India,
which are actively promoting
clean energy and sustainable
technologies. Read more
here.
The Power ofVulnerabilityBrene Brown, a Professor of
Social Work, studies human
connection - our ability to
empathise, belong, love. In
this poignant and funny talk at
TEDx, she shares a deep
insight from her research, one
that sent her on a personal
quest to understand how
people relate to
vulnerabilities. And in thhe
process, she got to know
herself better as well as to
understand people in general.
View this Video here (21
mins).
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