Free trade provides the greatest opportunity to improve human welfare.

India is transforming, thanks to its strong performance selling products and services around the globe. But what interventions, at a State level, can do the most to ensure Indian exports are globally competitive? Research by Amitendu Palit, Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore, provides answers.

Hace 46 años, el profesor Jørgen Randers fue coautor de Limits to Growth, y asustó a una generación haciéndole creer el mito de que el planeta estaba a punto de quedarse sin recursos.

A pesar de haber sido totalmente derrotado, el pronóstico del profesor Randers sigue siendo igual de sombrío, pero ahora lo que teme no es la contaminación, sino el cambio climático. Sostiene que “la democracia debe ser suspendida para resolver la crisis climática” y que solo una dictadura introducirá lo que cree que son las políticas correctas y costosas.

Global attention has been devoted to water scarcity and its effect on Indian farmers. However, new analysis from Indian researchers suggests that far more good could come if irrigation were combined with seed improvement.

Chronic diseases claim more Indian lives than infectious diseases, and take a huge toll: Between 2012 and 2030, non-communicable diseases and mental health conditions are expected to cost India $4.58 trillion. The government supports states to respond, but much more needs to be done. New research for India Consensus, a collaboration between Tata Trusts and Copenhagen Consensus, reveals some strategies should be prioritised against specific diseases.

Life expectancy in India has increased almost four years in the last decade. Every 24 hours, India added more than nine hours to the life of a newborn — thereby ‘allowing’ a baby born today four more years of life. To a large extent, this progress is due to substantial reductions in infant and maternal mortality, dropping a quarter and a third over the last decade.

Yet, India can do better. It ranks 145th out of 193 nations on infant mortality, and 129 of 184 nations on maternal mortality, according to the World Bank.

Der Mensch hat eine Schwäche für schlechte Nachrichten. Die Medien reflektieren und prägen diese Vorliebe, indem sie Sorgen und panischen Ängsten Nahrung geben. Längere, langsame, positive Trends schaffen es weder auf die Titelseiten, noch liefern sie Stoff für einen Plausch am Arbeitsplatz. Also entwickeln wir eigenartige Fehlannahmen, insbesondere die Vorstellung, dass die überwiegende Mehrheit der Dinge im Begriff sei schiefzulaufen.

Humans are partial to bad news. Media outlets reflect and shape this preference, feeding us woe and panic. Long, slow, positive trends don’t make it to the front page or to water-cooler conversations. So we develop peculiar misperceptions, especially the idea that a preponderance of things are going wrong.

El Día de la Tierra es una idea noble para garantizar que apreciamos y mejoramos nuestro medio ambiente. Pero tenemos que asegurarnos de que no sea solo simbolismo y gestos para sentirnos bien. Debemos centrarnos en las cuestiones medioambientales más importantes y no solo en las que reciben más atención. https://www.milenio.com/opinion/bjorn-lomborg/columna-bjorn-lomborg/una-celebracion-eficaz-para-el-dia-de-la-tierra

Los tiroteos masivos en los Estados Unidos han impulsado a las fuerzas de seguridad y medios de comunicación a buscar patrones comunes, y uno de ellos ha sido que un número inquietante de perpetradores fueron previamente acusados de abuso doméstico.

When India found itself at the 103rd position in the recent World Economic Forum ranking of 130 nations on the preparedness of talent, it was just another indication of the skills challenge. In just five years, the government’s skill gap analysis report estimates that an extra 40 crore workers need to be skilled, reskilled or upskilled. The current official estimate is that slightly more than half a crore people are being trained annually.