Blogs Posts in News category; 572 blog posts

Poverty ‘theatrics’

The Left views the recent tiff between Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh over the poverty cut-off as “theatrics”. The editorial in the CPM’s People&rs [...]

Posted On : Oct, 12 2011 | Comments : 0

UN chief calls for universal access to energy

UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who himself studied by candlelight as a child, pleaded on Monday for universal access to clean energy, a privilege denied to more than half the world population. "We need an energy revolution," Ban said [...]

Posted On : Oct, 11 2011 | Comments : 0

Counting poverty

The subject of poverty in quantitative terms is something the government is strangely reticent about. There is no shortage of talk of poverty alleviation and ‘addressing the needs of the poor’ – but precious little hard [...]

Posted On : Oct, 10 2011 | Comments : 0

Poverty-stricken Muppet's debut praised as real, honest

A Canadian poverty activist has applauded Sesame Street's decision to feature a poverty-stricken Muppet on the long-running children's show. Lily, a bright-pink Muppet whose family struggles to put food on the table, will make [...]

Posted On : Oct, 09 2011 | Comments : 0

Four in 10 disabled young living in poverty, report says

Four in 10 disabled young people in England are living in poverty, amounting to a "staggering" 320,000 children. And the figure will rise because of government cuts to welfare payments, according to a report by The Children' [...]

Posted On : Oct, 07 2011 | Comments : 0

Poverty line cut-offs will always be arbitrary: Montek

Poverty line cut-offs will always be arbitrary, believes deputy chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia. The view of the Planning Commission that a person can meet expenditure of 'food, health and education' wit [...]

Posted On : Oct, 06 2011 | Comments : 0

Federal poverty level doesn't meet basic needs, data shows

A family of four in California would need an average of more than $63,000 a year – nearly triple the federal poverty level – to cover its basic needs, according to an analysis of the state's cost of living to be released t [...]

Posted On : Oct, 05 2011 | Comments : 0

India draws poverty battle lines

India's top governmental economic advisory body is backing away from a new official poverty cut-off rate of 32 rupees (US$0.64) per day after it caused a major furor. On September 20, Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Sing [...]

Posted On : Oct, 04 2011 | Comments : 0

Hispanic Children in Poverty Exceed Whites, Study Finds

Hispanic children living in poverty in the United States outnumber poor white children for the first time, a demographic shift that was hastened by the recession, according to a report released Wednesday by the Pew Hispanic Center. The [...]

Posted On : Sep, 29 2011 | Comments : 0

New RAY of hope for slumdwellers in city

Mumbai's salt pans and Union government-owned tracts of land that are currently encroached upon could soon be opened up for slum rehabilitation projects under the Centre’s ambitious Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY). While Chief Minister [...]

Posted On : Sep, 28 2011 | Comments : 0

Poverty rates rise according to census

Poverty has risen sharply in most regions of Pennsylvania, highlighting the widespread impact of the recession and the need for policymakers to protect struggling families and invest in building a stronger economy. In urban areas of Pe [...]

Posted On : Sep, 26 2011 | Comments : 0

'India's poverty level impractical for Punjab'

The Central government's affidavit in the Supreme Court declaring those spending Rs 32 per person per day and Rs 26 in rural areas as above poverty line has provoked politicians of all hues in poll-bound Punjab to demand a higher rate [...]

Posted On : Sep, 23 2011 | Comments : 0

City's poverty rate jumps past 20%

New York City's poverty rate jumped to 20.1% in 2010 from 18.7% in 2009 and median family income plummeted 6% to $53,593 as the aftershocks of the Great Recession reverberated throughout the five boroughs. New figures released Thur [...]

Posted On : Sep, 22 2011 | Comments : 0

Local advocates fight child poverty

A group of children's advocates in central Wisconsin is working behind-the-scenes to help children in poverty and prevent kids from ending up poor. The advocates gathered Tuesday at a forum in Wausau to discuss a report that show [...]