"Strong fiscal revenue growth has been deemed as solid evidence of the PRC economy's resilience as last year's double-digit increase in fiscal revenue clearly shows. But if China is to boost consumer-led growth by improving income distribution, policymakers must take another look at the current rise in fiscal revenues.

Yes, more taxes do enable the government to better finance public investment and expand public services. But a bigger tax burden can also undermine the country's endeavor to change its growth model by relying more on domestic spending than on investment and export for growth. Although income tax contributes to only a small part of the fiscal revenue, the authorities should find a way to reduce the tax burden for individuals."

"There is a need for global agricultural innovations to become more relevant for small land holders, and for them to be effectively adapted to local conditions. If governments remain attentive to the operative arrangements of public-private partnerships in the agricultural sector, rather than preferring to take a backseat approach, it is not difficult to help small farmers contend with otherwise daunting issues like integrated pest management and securing access to safer crop protection products.

Some of the major problems of small land holders in Pakistan are lack of quality seeds and fertilizer, water and extension services. The increase in the proportion of smallholders has been mainly at the expense of medium-sized households. The increasing fragmentation of land ownership does not bode well for poverty alleviation and agricultural productivity."

"The government of Nepal has received an award for its innovative road program, which is designed to promote road transport infrastructure as a means of improving the livelihoods and economic development of the poorest in 7 out of 75 districts in Nepal. Launched in 2000, the Rural Access Program (RAP) has already built 633 km of roads in rural Nepal and further aims to build 365 km of roads.

The impact of RAP road building has exceeded expectations. Among many other impacts, RAP is generating 13.4 million labor days with an average daily income of $2.85. In addition, free immunizations increased by 34 percent, school enrolment increased from 75 percent to 92 percent, and labor migration fell by 5 percent. Workers' savings and credit schemes amount to $2.2 million, changing attitudes to saving."

"India's GDP growth estimates for 2009-10 have been revised to upwards of 7-7.5 percent. The country's expected to bounce back to its 9 percent growth path in fiscal 2010-11. Skeptics, however, raise some doubts about whether this high growth can be sustained when the fiscal stimulus package and the easy money policy are gradually withdrawn this year.

Optimists point to the high minimum support prices on rural incomes, the effects of salary hikes on urban demand, and the high savings rate of 38 percent. The biggest concern continues to be the food price inflation which has touched nearly 20 percent. The huge infrastructure deficit would also continue to haunt the Indian economy. Despite much talk and debate on public-private partnership and other models, the severe power shortage, the bad roads, congested ports and airports would hinder India's progress, especially in its quest for 'inclusive growth.' "

"Hunger levels among Filipino families have risen to a fresh high, reports say, with one in four households claiming in a new poll that they experienced having nothing to eat. A fourth quarter survey by an independent survey research institution put the hunger measure at 24 percent as of December last year, equivalent to 4.4 million families.

It was a little over five points up from three months earlier and surpassed the previous record of 23.7 percent hit in December 2008. Government officials blamed the impact of typhoons but expressed confidence the figure would drop as the local economy picks up."

"How are Indonesia's women faring, at the turn of a new decade? How influential are they in the consumer economy? Half the fairer sex, 14 years and over are housewives. At 53 percent today, this number has in fact grown marginally in recent years, a significant comment on where society is heading. In general, women create little pressure on the job market, even while their presence in business and politics becomes increasingly visible.

Perhaps the most significant changes in the life of Indonesia's women is the rapid growth in the numbers who have finished high school. In just five years, the rate of climb from 21 percent in 2005 to 34 percent in 2009, is dramatic indeed. This is a development of wide-ranging impact on society, influencing healthcare to social behavior, politics to business. Half the women who are not housewives have a job, full or part-time. That is 25 percent of all Indonesian women."

"The U.S. military's establishment of the Northern Distribution Network, a series of commercial transportation routes through Georgia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to Afghanistan, could act as the catalyst to create a longer-term series of trade routes, according to a think tank.

Transnational trade will be key to Afghanistan becoming a healthy, self-sufficient country, but competing interests among states surrounding Afghanistan make it impossible to implement a coordinated transportation strategy for the region, according to a series of reports."

"PRC's surging demand for steel this year is expected to dominate the landscape of the steel industry as never before. Already the world's largest producer by far, the country is expected to rev up production by nearly 10 percent. But the higher output likely won't exceed demand, pushing prices higher world-wide for steel, its raw materials and even coal.

Steelmakers, which idled dozens of mills and cut production as the global economy slowed, are now ramping up. China also is trying to unify a fragmented and sprawling domestic industry to present a strong, unified voice in price negotiations for sales and purchases of raw materials. The idea: Capitalize better on the country's huge appetite for the materials that make everything from refrigerators to bridges."

"In a unique initiative, children in Kolkata are distributing books free of cost to children residing in rural areas to help educate them, and inspire them to read. These children fill up a cycle van of second-hand books and take the van to several rural areas. Every Wednesday they drive their mobile library and distribute the books to children in the rural areas.

The children running the mobile library not only read out stories to the poor children but also teach them how to read themselves. Welcoming the effort, locals said a mobile library service was a novel and innovative idea to make children literate."

"In Myanmar, where one-third of the population of 57.6 million lives below the poverty line according to the UN, traders say selling hair has become a way of making ends meet. Households face rising living costs and are vulnerable to food insecurity; 69 percent of all household expenditure is spent on food, according to a 2007 UN Development Program household living conditions survey.

Hair traders say business has boomed in the past five years, thanks to growing demand from PRC and Korea for wigs. Because of this lucrative trade, buyers and sellers alike say those with long hair have to beware of hair thieves while commuting in crowded buses."

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