India signs loan agreement with ADB worth $300 million to support the Government’s flagship program, the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM)

The Government of India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a US$ 300 million loan to support the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM), the Central government’s flagship program to improve the health of country’s urban population. Along with the loan, the two parties also signed the accompanying capacity building technical assistance of US$ 2 million, financed by the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction.

Skill training provided to over 3.8 million urban poor: Union Government

With support from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, over 3.8 million urban poor have been given skill development training under the 'Skill Training for Employment Promotion Amongst Urban Poor (STEP-UP)' to enable them to be either self-employed or obtain a salaried job.

PM Narendra Modi launches new scheme for power reforms in rural areas

With a view to ensure uninterrupted supply of electricity in rural India, Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi has launched the 'Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana’, which includes feeder separation (rural households and agriculture usage) and strengthening of sub-transmission and distribution infrastructure, including metering at all levels in the rural areas.

Central government to launch a ‘unified’ insurance product for farmers

The Central government is planning to launch the Unified Package Insurance Scheme (Bhartiya Krishi Bima Yojana) in order to provide farmers financial security, promote crop diversification and enhance growth and competitiveness of agriculture sector.

India leads the global confidence index: Nielsen

India continues to lead the global confidence index prepared by Nielsen for the April-June quarter of 2015 with an index score of 131, majorly due to positive growth in consumer spending on consumer packaged goods and a gradual decrease in job security concerns.

Capital Infusion in MSME Sector

The Government and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have taken various measures to facilitate easy access to finance for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). These measures include launching Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme for Micro and Small Enterprises, issuing guideline to banks regarding collateral requirements and setting up a Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency (MUDRA).