Indian cities are undergo inequality trend: State of the World’s Cities Report 2008/9 of UN-HABITAT.

Indian cities are undergoing an inequality trend as a result of economic liberalisation and globalisation, says the : State of the World’s Cities Report 2008/9 :Harmonious Cities. In 2002, the income gain of the richest 10 per cent of the population in India was about four times higher than that of the poorest 10 per cent, adds the report, released on Thursday by UN-HABITAT. This, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, is the U.N. agency for human settlements.

The report puts the current ecological footprint of humanity as 2.2 hectares per person, while the earth’s biocapacity remains at 1.8 ha. China and India have ecological footprints that are twice their biocapacity. In other words, what the population consumes in a year, their area of earth will take two years to produce. Other challenges facing cities are mobility, waste management and environment. The report says a number of cities in Asia have a high rate of car ownership. In this context, it cites the World Health Organisation’s estimates that more than a billion people in Asia are exposed to air pollution levels that exceed its guidelines. more

India refuses to accept WB terms for SSA loan

22 Aug 2008, 0238 hrs IST, Akshaya Mukul,TNN

NEW DELHI: The recent $600 million (Rs 2,400 crore) World Bank loan for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, that has come after nearly one-and-a-half years of negotiations, is among the rare examples of India refusing to let the Bank micromanage flagship programmes and inflict its highly centralized system on the country.

Officials of department of economic affairs said this negotiation should become a template for future loans for other flagship programmes. Negotiations for the loan, taken entirely on Indian terms, started in January 2007, went through several low phases and by last December, matters came to a head and it looked as if loan agreement would not happen.


read it all