"While the global financial turmoil has had repercussions on the Indian financial markets, particularly in the equity and foreign exchange segments, the banking sector has not been significantly impacted, as evident from the comfortable capital adequacy, asset quality and profitability indicators.

Total bank credit in India has grown at a scorching pace in recent years, at a rate more than double the rate of increase of nominal GDP. One consequence of liberalization and financial integration is an increased exposure to risk, which is a matter of concern because the Indian regulatory system is not yet geared to deal with it."

"Beijing is facing an unprecedented challenge to have enough water for its economic development and the daily use of its residents. Yet the city government is taking concrete measures to conserve more water and turn Beijing into a water-saving city. Forty polluting enterprises with a high rate of consumption of both water and energy are to be moved out of the capital.

More recycled water is to be used for watering greenery as well as meeting industrial requirements. By way of a disincentive, the price of water will be raised to make residents aware of the compelling need to save on water use. Apart from conserving water, it might be worth considering the merits of rainwater harvesting on a much larger scale."

"Although the agriculture sector provides jobs to around 41.3 million people in Indonesia, or about 40 percent of the country's workforce, it only receives about 6 percent of total loans and financial credits from banks. And growth is unlikely to pick up significantly any time soon as the lack of adequate legal foundations, capital base and political will are still preventing the country from developing special agriculture banks.

It is next to impossible for banks to give loans to farmers under the regulations as most of them are simply not bankable and cannot comply with existing lending procedures."

"To economists and analysts, the news that Philippine exports in March plunged 30.9 percent is good news. To them it means the Philippine economy is likely on its way to recovery. Exports is one of the key hints of where the Philippine economy is headed. It accounts for about 40 percent of the local economy, which has not been spared from the impact of the global slowdown.

While labor is the country's biggest export -- about one out of 10 Filipinos are working or living abroad -- a good number of those who are left behind find employment in export-related industries. The Philippines supplies about 10 percent of the world's semiconductor manufacturing services, including mobile phone chips and micro processors."

"Since authorities opened the way for private investment into Afghanistan's education system nearly two years ago, more than 300 private schools have opened from Kabul to remote provinces. The emergence of private schools, the majority of which are secular, and parents' eager interest in educating their children is seen by many as a sign of growing stability and optimism for the future.

Only eight years ago there wasn't a single secular school in Afghanistan, and those who were able to receive an education attended religious schools. All the students -- less than half a million per year -- were boys, since girls were completely banned from schools by the hard-line Taliban regime. This academic year, more than 7 million children are attending Afghanistan's nearly 9,000 schools -- both private and public, with both systems boasting that girls make up 35-40 percent of their enrollment."

"Since February, international prices for crude oil jumped from a year low of $45 to $58 per barrel -- a rise of nearly 30 percent. Petrol prices in Phnom Penh have jumped by up to 200 riels (4.8 cents) per liter in the past week, with petrol companies and analysts saying motorists should expect further increases as global petrol prices continue to have a knock-on effect at the petrol pump.

With Cambodia still importing 100 percent of its oil products, the country remains susceptible to global market fluctuations. But although stockpiled, low-cost oil derivatives had so far helped offset the sharp rise in global crude oil, petrol prices were expected to increase as these reserves were depleted."

"The Bangladesh government is expected to substantially increase spending for the education sector through the upcoming national budget. But there is an almost consensus opinion among education experts in the country that it is a great waste to pump more resources into the sector till it can be ensured that the funds will be well spent.

Steps must be taken to weed out corruption, inefficiency and create an accountability structure through better selection of teachers and proper teacher training on a regular basis. More pressing requirements relate to the creation of different models of education. Courses taught at secondary, higher secondary and even primary stages call for an overhaul so that pupils learn well beyond general education and get life-oriented learning."

"India's teeming new megacities are swelling rapidly even as jobs dry up and funding for infrastructure disappears. India has at least 41 cities with more than one million people, up from 23 two decades ago. A half dozen others will soon join the megacity list. Although city planners have tried to learn from Calcutta and Mumbai's untamed sprawl, they haven't been able to manage the growth in Lucknow, which suffers from over-crowding and weak infrastructure.

What's happening in India is part of a world-wide challenge. Megacities are sprouting around the globe. But in billion-person India, the trend is on steroids. The country already has 25 of the world's 100-fastest growing urban areas. If India fails to get a handle on its new urban areas, it could be saddled with more bottlenecks and inefficiencies that could doom the country to years of subpar growth."

"The government in Viet Nam will help Ho Chi Minh City to grow into a center of finance by giving it more autonomy and creating new mechanisms for developing financial markets, a senior financial official said. The government is considering regulations for developing the capital and securities markets and even the derivatives market.

It also supports developing infrastructure to international standards to serve capital markets and financial businesses in the city. HCMC accounts for 35-40 percent of Viet Nam's gross domestic product."

"The Bangladesh Bank is working on a stress test program to strengthen the country's banking sector amid the recession. The program would see whether or not banks are capable of managing the core risks of the possible impact of the recession. One of the major focuses of the tests would be on bank operations.

The central bank would extend necessary support after the findings of the stress tests. The Bangladesh Bank would encourage commercial banks to foster their corporate social responsibilities together with their core area of operations. The expansion of core banking activities to rural areas will increase domestic demand, which is fundamental to keep the economy moving."

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