Latest news with #Approach
The Hindu
28-07-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Shaping India's multidimensional fight against poverty
India's efforts to reduce poverty have produced admirable results. As per the World Bank's revised poverty line, between 2011 and 2023, approximately 270 million people have been able to come out of extreme poverty. That's more than the population of Germany and Russia, combined. The poorest caste and religious groups saw the fastest absolute reduction in this period. It is now widely recognised that poverty is multidimensional, encompassing more than just lack of money. It includes deprivations in health, education, and quality of life. India's Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) measures poverty using multiple indicators. It looks at 12 basic needs across health, education, and standard of living to understand how people are deprived in different parts of their lives. A person is considered poor if they are deprived in at least one-third of the indicators used. Based on this approach, NITI Aayog's discussion paper reminds us that nearly 200 million people in India still face multiple hardships. Poverty remains severe, with the poorest struggling to meet about half of their 12 basic needs. These people often live in mud houses in which piped water and proper sanitation are still considered luxuries. It is not unusual for them to skip meals in a day, and an illness or an unexpected life event can have disastrous consequences. It's important to remember that when people face simultaneous deprivations — especially non-monetary ones — these challenges can reinforce each other, keeping people trapped in poverty. For example, people who are deprived in both nutrition and sanitation are potentially more vulnerable to infectious diseases. These deprivation bundles are a recurring pattern observed among people living in extreme poverty around the world. Quite often, poverty reduction policies are not framed keeping these interlinkages in mind. Graduation Approach This multi-pronged way to measure and study poverty also demands a fresh approach to design anti-poverty programmes. For governments, it means investing in programmes that give people living in extreme poverty the tools to escape the poverty trap. Bangladesh-based NGO BRAC's Graduation Approach offers an effective model to do that. The Graduation Approach provides the poorest of the poor a sequential and complementary package that includes a productive asset such as livestock or small items for trading, training to manage them, some money for up to a year to meet their immediate needs, and mentorship to manage their income and savings. The programme has become a global success. It has reached and improved the standard of living for millions of households across 43 countries following randomised evaluations by researchers affiliated with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), including Nobel Laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo. Households around the world receiving the multi-component support package of the Graduation Approach made significant gains in all the key MPI indicators. Let's take a closer look at them. Standard of living: The model increased household spending on food, fuel, and assets — all key elements of the MPI's standard of living dimension. In Bangladesh, researchers observed that participants were more likely to own land and a shop just two years after the programme — activities which the rural middle class partakes in. Even in Yemen, among the poorest countries in the world, people spent more on refurbishing their houses, suggesting they had money to spare after meeting their essential needs. Families also reported better financial security and higher spending on children. In India, households held more assets and reduced their dependence on informal credit. Health: Graduation Approach's focus on improving food security and access to healthcare can directly contribute to better health outcomes. In Afghanistan, the programme helped reduce diarrhoea among children under five years of age by eight percentage points. A study in Pakistan, India, Honduras, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Peru found people reported better health and happiness. In India too, some emerging lessons from studies show significant and sustained improvement in food security with 99% of participant households not skipping meals. Education: Researchers found that certain adaptations of the Graduation Approach also increased school enrolment rates among children. A study in Afghanistan conducted over 2016-2018 found that school enrolment rose by 7 percentage points for boys and 5 for girls. The Graduation Approach's close alignment with the national MPI indicators gives Indian States as well as the federal government a useful blueprint to design anti-poverty programmes effective in handling its multidimensional nature. Common deprivations It helps policymakers to identify the key areas that need urgent attention. For instance, the most common deprivation bundle in India is across four categories: nutrition, housing, sanitation, and clean cooking fuel. More than 34 million people lack access to these in India. Policies that target these areas in tandem are likely to have a much greater impact on poverty reduction. Over the past few years, India has introduced a slew of policies to improve children's nutrition, health and well-being of mothers, and financial inclusion for people living in poverty. And it has been successful too. Initiatives such as Poshan Abhiyan have been instrumental in improving health outcomes, particularly in reducing malnutrition, and PM Awas Yojana has reached millions through affordable housing. But these actions are often led by different Ministries. A multifaceted programme such as the Graduation Approach makes it easier for policy planners to achieve these different goals through one concerted strategy. In 2024, the Ministry of Rural Development took an important step in this direction by piloting the Samaveshi Aajeevika Initiative (Inclusive Development Programme) initiative across 11 States with a consortium of partners including BRAC, The Nudge Institute and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab ( J-PAL) South Asia. The programme — based on the Graduation Approach model — is designed to help rural women become entrepreneurs and put them on the path to self-sufficiency. Using this as a platform and in the spirit of cooperative federalism, States can identify vulnerability hotspots through MPI and target them through integrated proven solutions such as the Samaveshi Aajeevika to fight poverty and its multiple facets. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid down an ambitious vision for inclusive development with a singular objective: leave no one behind. And as India marches towards becoming a high-income country by 2047, States must embrace evidence-based, innovative models such as Samaveshi Aajevika that can set people free from the poverty trap. Parikrama Chowdhry is the Lead - Policy (Scale-ups) at J-PAL South Asia; views are personal
Time of India
19-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
US threatens Mexican airline flights over cargo, competition issues
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The Trump administration said on Saturday it is taking a series of actions against Mexico over the Mexican government's decisions to rescind some flight slots for U.S. carriers and force U.S. cargo carriers to relocate operations in Mexico City.U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement the department could disapprove flight requests from Mexico if the government fails to address U.S. concerns over decisions made in 2022 and 2023. The department is also proposing to withdraw antitrust immunity from the Delta Air Lines joint venture with Aeromexico to address competitive issues in the is the most popular international destination among U.S. airline said if the U.S. Department of Transportation withdraws approval it "would cause significant harm to consumers traveling between the U.S. and Mexico, as well as U.S. jobs, communities, and transborder competition."The Transportation Department said Mexico has not been in compliance with a bilateral air agreement since 2022 when it abruptly rescinded slots and then forced U.S. all-cargo carriers to relocate operations in Transport Ministry and major Mexican airlines, including Aeromexico, could not be immediately reached for said Mexico was expected to complete construction to alleviate congestion at Mexico City's Benito Juarez International Airport (MEX), but that has yet to materialize three years later."By restricting slots and mandating that all-cargo operations move out of MEX, Mexico has broken its promise, disrupted the market, and left American businesses holding the bag for millions in increased costs," the department USDOT also said it could take action against European countries over limitations at airports. "We are monitoring European States to ensure that they apply the Balanced Approach process for noise abatement at their airports and do not implement unjustified operational restrictions," the department Transportation Department issued a pair of orders requiring Mexican airlines to file schedules with the department for all their U.S. operations by July 29 and requiring prior U.S. approval before operating any large passenger or cargo aircraft charter flights to or from the United States."Mexico has altered the playing field significantly for airlines in ways that reduce competition and allow predominant competitors to gain an unfair advantage in the U.S.-Mexico market," the department said. "Mexico's actions harm airlines seeking to enter the market, existing competitor airlines, consumers of air travel and products relying on time-sensitive air cargo shipments traded between the two countries, and other stakeholders in the American economy."If the U.S. rescinds antitrust approval for Delta and Aeromexico, they would be required to discontinue cooperation on common pricing, capacity management, and revenue sharing, but Delta would also be able to retain its equity stake in Aeromexico, maintain all of its existing flying in the U.S.-Mexico market unimpeded and continue a partnership.
Daily Express
04-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Express
RAM affirms Sabah Development Bank Berhad's AA1 Rating
Published on: Wednesday, June 04, 2025 Published on: Wed, Jun 04, 2025 Text Size: RAM is the leading and largest credit rating agency in Southeast Asia, and publishes credit ratings to give independent, forward-looking opinion about an issuer's ability to repay its financial obligations. - Bernama pic Kota Kinabalu: RAM Rating Services Berhad (RAM) has on 4 June 2025 affirmed AA1/Stable/P1 ratings of Sabah Development Bank Berhad (SDB)'s debt instruments. The AA1 rating indicates high safety for payment of financial obligations by SDB and the 'Stable' outlook reflects RAM's expectations that the long-term rating will be unchanged over the intermediate term. SDB's Commercial Papers are also affirmed at P1, the highest short-term rating assigned by RAM which reflects high safety for payment of short-term financial obligations. RAM is the leading and largest credit rating agency in Southeast Asia, and publishes credit ratings to give independent, forward-looking opinion about an issuer's ability to repay its financial obligations. In RAM's report, it stated that 'The affirmation of SDB's ratings reflects our expectations of continued financial support from the Sabah state government (the State). Given the State's strong track record of support and SDB's strategic role in advancing Sabah's development objectives, we assessed the Bank to have an 'almost certain' likelihood of receiving state support, in accordance with our Rating Approach for Government-Linked Entities ('GLE') (October 2024).' In RAM's assessment, which evaluates both the importance of the GLE and the strength of its relationship with the Government, 'almost certain' represents the highest category of potential outcomes. SDB has made significant strides in its 3-Year Transformation Journey, which it embarked on in the second half of 2023 under a new Board and Management. The Bank's aggressive restructuring efforts, backed by strong support from the State Government, have resulted in a substantial reduction of its bond repayment obligations from RM5 billion in July 2023 to RM3 billion as of today. As a result of the kitchen-sinking exercise initiated in the second half of 2023, the Bank's total capital ratio fell to 7.9% by year-end. However, with strong support from the State Government, it has since improved, reaching 19.6% by the end of 2024. Since the setup of an independent professional recovery team in September 2023, notable progress has been made in addressing the Non-Performing Loans (NPLs). From January 2024 to April 2025, the Bank's Board approved RM965 million in settlement proposals, in addition to the RM2 billion in pledged securities placed under receivership. In line with the mandate from State Government, SDB is now focused on financing development projects in Sabah predominantly in the infrastructure, power and water sectors. The State has positioned SDB as the lead lender for local content in major investments in Sabah, reinforcing the Bank's strategic role in State's economic development. Between January 2024 and April 2025, SDB approved RM1.708 billion loan applications aligned with its developmental mandate. During the same period, the Bank dropped RM9.389 billion in loan applications that either fell outside its mandate or did not meet its enhanced credit standards. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
CNET
14-05-2025
- Business
- CNET
Today Only: Save Up to $115 Off Our Favorite Smart Lock With Keyless Entry and More
The smart home is no longer a thing of the future, and many of us are living in one right now. From bulbs to plugs, there are now more things connected to our phones and the internet than ever before. These days, you can even ditch the humble key in favor of something much more modern. We consider the Yale Assure Lock 2 to be the best smart lock available right now, so the chance to save up to $115 off yours shouldn't be ignored. There are multiple options on offer, but you'll need to choose quickly. This Best Buy deal ends tonight, so time is running out. Prices start at $205, which also happens to be the deal with the biggest discount, too. Looking for something different? Best Buy is also offering a discount on the Approach apartment lock, slashing the price to just $190. The Yale Assure Lock 2 is black with a simple, straightforward design that should complement most door colors and styles. It's app-compatible, allowing you to unlock your door with just a few taps on your phone. In other instances, you can provide visitors with a numeric code that can be used on the lock's touchscreen. You can also configure the lock to let you in with a quick fingerprint scan. It has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, allowing you to connect via Bluetooth as a default in case there's a Wi-Fi interruption. When using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, you can get real-time alerts about any activity. As a fail-safe, there's also old-fashioned physical key entry. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money. Keep in mind that the Assure Lock 2 requires you to use batteries that aren't rechargeable. Yale suggests keeping extras on hand. Created to be hassle-free, the Assure 2 has auto-lock, so you won't have to worry about dealing with your phone every time you leave the premises. Why this deal matters The Yale Assure Lock 2 is our top pick, thanks to its sleek design and versatility, integrating with all of the major smart home platforms and offering multiple ways to unlock your front door. At this price it's hard to ignore.
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Tezu airport gets upgraded ATC system
Itanagar: The Airdrome Control Unit (ACU) and Approach (APP) Combined Unit at Tezu airport in Lohit district was inaugurated by deputy commissioner KN Damo on move is a leap for aviation infrastructure in the state and marks a milestone in enhancing air traffic safety and operational capability. According to a District Information and Public Relations Office report, officials from the Airport Authority of India made presentations highlighting the significance of the new units. They said with the installation of the unit, Tezu airport's Air Traffic Control (ATC) system has been upgraded. It is now at par with larger airports in the country, enhancing its capacity to manage flights safely and efficiently.
