RajivBuzz

A new World Bank flagship report reveals that  human capital accumulation  in India is being critically undermined by severe deficits in child health, home-based care, and educational quality, with stark disparities linked to gender, birth order, and  environmental pollution . The report,  Building Human Capital Where It Matters: Homes, Neighborhoods, and Workplaces , argues that without urgent policy action targeting the home, neighborhood, and workplace, India risks perpetuating a cycle of low productivity and stagnating economic growth.

  A comprehensive review of the  after the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (PM-SGMBY)  by the advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) has found that the scheme is structurally unsuitable for  low-income families  and has largely benefited relatively affluent households instead.

India's ambitious  National Perspective Plan  to interlink 37 rivers — at a cost exceeding Rs 10 lakh crore — has attracted fierce opposition from scientists, environmentalists, and affected communities. Ever since Prime Minister  Narendra Modi  laid the foundation stone for the first major project under this plan, the Ken-Betwa River Link Project (KBRLP), on December 25, 2024, that opposition has only grown louder. 

  A public appeal by local advocate  Kamlesh S. Madhiwala  has drawn attention to a growing crisis in urban India’s smaller towns—the steady disappearance of accessible sports infrastructure and its ripple effects on children and youth.

  South Asia is at a critical crossroads as it faces a massive surge in waste generation that is set to nearly double by 2050, according to the  World Bank ’s latest " What a Waste 3.0 " report. The region, which currently produces 346 million tonnes of  municipal solid waste  annually, is projected to see a 99% growth in volume over the next quarter-century, fueled by rapid population growth and accelerating urbanization. 

After I was transferred as the Times of India representative in Gandhinagar, the Gujarat capital, in 1997, one of the many changes I noticed in my interaction with state officialdom and politicians was the kind of courtesies extended to me—even by those I would rarely meet. One such courtesy came in the form of a phrase I knew nothing about:  Micchami Dukkadam .