"Only 10 percent of Indians from 18 to 24 are enrolled in higher education compared with 45 percent in developed countries, according to Prime Minister Singh. With 54 percent of India's population of 1.1 billion made up of people age 24 or younger, outsiders view the country as flush with English-speaking workers who can fill advanced jobs in technology, medicine and finance and attract foreign investment. That perception is wrong.

Permitting foreign universities to operate in India would improve quality and enable more students to attend. But the government deferred introducing a law to allow international universities to open campuses. Strapped for employees and with the government at a standstill on foreign universities, Indian companies are courting workers from other countries, making training part of the on-the-job experience and trying to hold onto the people they have."

"The Economic Impact of Sanitation in Indonesia report shows that in 2006 the negative impact of poor sanitation cost the country an estimated $6.3 billion, or 2.3 percent of gross domestic product. Given that the poor already struggle more to manage the effects of global food and energy prices, conflict and natural disasters, the sanitation challenge remains great.

Government-led efforts in collaboration with the international community indicate that economic, environmental and social returns on investment in sanitation and water are higher than in other sectors. Improved sanitation could bring the single greatest reduction in the deaths of children under the age of five."

"While over 80 percent of the people in Karachi boil water, many still suffer from health problems. Since there is no advanced water treatment at Karachi's plants, all health-threatening contaminants in raw water escape treatment and end up in finished water. Conventional water treatment plants are ineffective in removing heavy metals, pesticides and agrochemicals.

Water treatment plants in Karachi and Hyderabad must have tertiary or advanced water treatment units in addition to the rapid-sand filtration system so that toxic contaminants, which are not removed by conventional water treatment plants, can be eliminated."

"Since Cyclone Nargis struck in Myanmar on May 2-3, leaving almost 140,000 people dead or missing, and affecting another 2.4 million, farming has proven virtually impossible. With the cyclone striking just prior to the start of the monsoon paddy planting season, it is quite likely there will be heavy production losses. The reasons for this include erosion and damage to paddy land, low viability of rice seed and loss of draught animals and farm equipment.

Given these facts, and with credit so tight, many farmers are now hesitant to invest in something that might fail, prompting many to turn to fishing which does not require as much money as farming. The cost of fishing nets varies with size. Most farmers have been opting for small sized nets they can handle easily in the nearby creeks and ponds. They cost a fraction of what it would cost to power till their own fields."

"As the cost of living continues to rise, many Ho Chi Minh City businesses are trying hard to keep staff by offering higher salaries and allowances. Workers in the garment industry have seen their living costs surge by at least 40 percent this year. But their salaries have gone up just 12-15 percent, and many find it hard to make ends meet.

While the annual attrition rate at garment firms is 5-20 percent, some are now choosing to return home to work instead of moving to another factory in the city. It is much easier for a worker to get by on a salary of $60 in Tra Vinh or An Giang provinces than to live in HCMC on $96 a month. In other sectors, businesses are making great efforts to hold on to technical personnel."

"According to primary estimates, the reconstruction of areas struck by the May 12 earthquake in Wenchuan would cost a total sum of $147 billion. The sum is about 20 percent of all the government income last year. A huge amount even compared with the increasingly stronger economy. Authorities would try to raise the funds through multiple means, including government input, fund-raising from businesses and bank loans. A bigger challenge is to ensure this fund is spent efficiently without waste.

After all, the reconstruction involves numerous projects of different sizes and types. One of the most important missions for authorities is to put the reconstruction work under the scrutiny of the administrative, the legislature, the public and the media. The reconstruction must be monitored by professional auditors and the projects should be assessed for their performances and efficiency."

"Does Indonesia have a positive investment climate? Despite the government's claim of a surge in foreign investment, the truth is that complaints about the business climate have not diminished. A fair number of foreign investors, chiefly those in the mining sector, continuously complain that there are way too many business hurdles, ranging from permit, tax, and labor issues to legal certainty.

A recent report confirms such an unfavorable investment climate in Indonesia. The report criticizes Indonesia for being too restrictive which discourages foreign investment. Indonesia has been further advised to open its economy because the Indonesian people in general will ultimately benefit."

"Watersheds represent a big proportion of the Philippines' total land area, and they provide vital resources for the well-being of society. But their degradation is a significant contributor to poverty, inequality, and loss of livelihood in the Philippines, a report says. The Asian Development Bank has approved $850,000 in grants to help the Philippines protect its watersheds, the source of livelihood of close to 18 million people.

About 16.3 million hectares of watersheds are located on mountainous and steep slopes and they provide livelihoods to rural communities. But unsustainable land-use practices leading to accelerated erosion and watershed degradation have adversely affected the life and well-being of those poor communities, making them more vulnerable to climatic extremes."

"India needs to look beyond coal and tap non-conventional and renewable sources of energy such as hydropower and nuclear energy, says Minister of State for Coal Bagrodia. Currently, about 26 percent of installed electricity generation capacity in India is accounted for by hydropower, against 50 percent in the 1960s.

Thermal generation, using coal and to a lesser extent gas accounts for around 66 percent, while non-conventional energy sources, of which wind energy is predominant, account for about five percent. Nuclear energy constitutes only about three percent of the country's total power generation. India's power deficit stood at 73,050 million units in 2007-08, during which period 653,172 million units were supplied against a demand of 726,222 million units."

"From the taxi driver to the carpenter to the small businessman, owning a mobile phone can massively increase people's ability to earn a good living and transform themselves into more productive citizens. A farmer or a fisherman can check via his mobile phone the price in distant markets and can thus receive a fairer price for his produce.

People searching for jobs or second-hand computers need look no further than the mobile phone in their hand to see what the market has to offer. In the future, mobile phones will be the vehicle for expanding banking and healthcare services to the poor and rural citizens who are currently underserved."

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