"The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has suggested providing for incentives for energy efficiency in industries as part of an action plan for India's energy security. The incentives could be in the form of upfront capital, especially for small and medium industries and performance-based subsidies.

TERI believes that energy efficiency could help India reduce electricity shortages and cut down its non-coking coal imports. Stressing the need to ensure adequate energy to fuel economic growth, the institute said it was extremely important to create capacity and knowhow at the local government level on energy efficiency. The country is suffering from huge estimated shortages of nearly 10 percent in energy terms and almost 17 percent in peak demand."

"PRC's first central document of the year has again focused on rural problems, just as it has done for the past six years since 2004. But this year it focuses on coordinating urban-rural development, which indicates that solutions for issues concerning agriculture, the countryside and farmers will not be sought independently.

The top central document this year focuses on balancing urban-rural development as a fundamental requirement. This balance will help build a moderately prosperous society in all respects and promote urbanization as a prime factor in maintaining a steady, fast economic growth. Urbanization is the Chinese government's hope for a new growth engine."

"The central bank plans to ease some terms and conditions for state-owned banks on credit growth and operating costs, letting them compete with their private peers. Despite such a relaxation, monitoring by the central bank must not cease, some top officials of state banks said, suggesting a check on any uneven influence from bad borrowers.

Four years back, Bangladesh Bank entered into a memorandum of understanding with the boards of state banks. At that time, as many as 17 conditions had been imposed on those with expectations of improved performances. In line with Bangladesh Bank rules, commercials banks in general are not allowed to lend any individual or organization an amount that exceeds 35 percent of any bank's paid-up capital."

"The National Energy Council in Indonesia has begun to debate a proposal to ban exports of coal, perhaps as soon as 2015. Those on the council who support the proposal argue that Indonesia, now Asia's largest exporter of coal, will be able to absorb its production by that date. They also point to the need for energy security and the country's diminishing coal reserves.

However, one industry representative argued that such a ban would hurt investment in the sector, and that domestic buyers would be unable to absorb the additional supply without aggressive expansion of the country's coal-fired electricity-generating capacity."

"Foreign investors are enthusiastic about implementing their projects in Viet Nam as the economy begins to roll forward again. Berjaya Vietnam said construction would start this quarter on its $930-million Financial Center Project in Ho Chi Minh City�fs District 10. Malaysia's Berjaya last November also received approval to develop a $6.3 billion property in the southern province of Dong Nai. While U.S.-based Winvest raised its investment from $300 million to more than $4.1 billion last year.

The global economic slump took its toll on Viet Nam's foreign investment inflow last year. Foreign direct investment, or FDI, fell to $24.48 billion, just around 30 percent of the figure in 2008. But as the economy is picking up, aiming for an expansion of 6.5 percent in gross domestic product this year, foreign investors have regained their confidence."

"Despite the Cabinet's decision to extend by another two years the nationality verification deadline for migrant workers, the problems of underground labor and exploitation will not go away. It is estimated that there are about 2-3 million migrant workers in Thailand, mostly from Myanmar. The deadline extension will allow the registered workers, numbering about a million, a two-year grace period to have their nationality verified and passports issued by their governments as preconditions for obtaining work permits here.

But there are still many stumbling blocks ahead. To start with, the Thai authorities are not equipped to help the workers deal with a complicated system that concerns various agencies as well as the governments from the workers' countries of origin. The deadline extension also assumes that the workers are willing to enter the nationality verification process, which is not true."

"To help the hundreds of millions of rural poor in India, Infosys Technologies Ltd. founder Nandan Nilekani has devise a fraud-proof identity number. A year from now he'll begin rolling out the world's biggest biometric database to enable the half of India's 1.2 billion people who lack access to financial services to open an ICICI Bank Ltd. account or sign up for a Vodafone Group Plc mobile phone.

While using the numbers won't be compulsory, Nilekani said the program's advantages will attract banks and utilities wanting to target fraud and help the government ensure subsidies that account for more than 14 percent of India's total expenditure, or $28 billion, reach their intended beneficiaries."

"Suicide has emerged as the single leading cause of death among women in Nepal aged 15-49, outranking other causes such as accidents and disease, according to a government study. The finding highlights the urgent need to address this issue, which has received little attention since its significance was first noted in 1998, the study said.

The second single leading cause was accidents, accounting for 9 percent of deaths. The study also found the overall maternal mortality rate in Nepal had improved to 229 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, compared to 539 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 1998."

"Gross domestic product (GDP) reached 33.54 trillion yuan ($4.91 trillion) in 2009, National Bureau of Statistics director Ma Jiantang said. He attributed the recovery mainly to the implementation of a proactive fiscal policy and moderately loose monetary policy, as well as the government stimulus package, to cope with the global financial crisis.

The annual growth target of 8 percent was deemed too ambitious at the beginning of a year that Chinese officials have claimed to be the most difficult so far this century. Yet, a V-shaped rebound that became evident in the third quarter last year has practically wiped out doubt of China's chances to achieve its growth target. Now, latest statistics show that the world's third largest economy expanded 10.7 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, lifting the full-year growth rate well above the original target."

"Low bank rates for housing loans in the Philippines help explain the recent interest in housing among Filipinos, according to one industry insider. Partly responsible for this is the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' (BSP) decision to keep its policy rates at record lows of 4 percent and 6 percent for the overnight borrowing and lending windows since August last year.

As a result, banks have passed on to their clients a combined 210 basis points cut in their lending rates, or higher than the 200 basis points reduction in the BSP's overnight credit facilities. Housing loans extended by thrift institutions, which traditionally cater to the individual borrowers or the so-called retail segment, had risen by 9 percent at end-September 2009 from the previous year, and by 3 percent from end-June 2009."

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