Midday Newsfeed

Some titillating headlines:

Microfinance:

• Whole Planet Foundation (WPF), a Whole Foods Market nonprofit that “empowers individuals in the global community through entrepreneurship” recently announced the creation of the Whole Planet Foundation Supplier Alliance for Microcredit (WPFSAM), a coalition of natural foods companies that aims to support the financial endeavours of WPF. The WPFSAM Alliance has pledged USD 1.05 million over three years to fund microcredit programs in developing countries, including the Grameen Trust in Costa Rica, Guatemala and India; Fundación Adelante in Honduras; and Pro Mujer in Nicaragua.” (Source: Microcapital.org)
• Related to an earlier post regarding social capital exchanges, Credit Suisse “will launch in the coming weeks an index that encompasses social responsibility criteria in addition to strong valuation and performance characteristics. The index will be composed of stocks that rank highly on both social responsibility criteria and financial ratios.” (Source: Microcapital.org)

Government regulation/programs:

• The UP government has placed a ban on the construction of liquor stores in and around areas inhabited by the Dalit population due to the reported connection between alcoholism and illiteracy, both of which have been cited as problems in the Dalit community.
• The Highways Department is developing a “Road Management System that would include a ‘Road Asset Information Database’ of the core road network and a computerised Pavement Management System (PMS) to enable more efficient planning.”
• Following recommendations from the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector, the Central government is devising a health insurance scheme that will cover the entire BPL population of 30 crore.

Health Research:

• The Times of India reports that India is seriously lagging behind in breast cancer detection rates, with early stage detection rates at 10% as compared to the West, which is at 65%