Punjab Excise and Taxation Service Center. Photo: World Bank Technology is changing our world faster than ever before. And Pakistan, home to more than 64 million internet users and 62 million people connected to mobile data, is no exception. As they’ve become more digital-savvy, Pakistanis are now expecting better digital services from their government.To meet these demands, the Government ...
Indian Bengali tribal mother is feeding her baby on her lap in a rural background. Credit: Abir Bhattacharya/ Shutterstock Childhood stunting—or being too short for one’s age—is one of the most significant barriers to human development and affects about 162 million children under five across the world. The good news is that several countries in the region, Nepal, India ...
Photo: World Bank Nepal is on the brink of a new era. Four years ago this April, the powerful Gorkha earthquake devasted parts of Nepal and shook Kathmandu to the core.Today, Nepal is in many ways emerging from that disaster as a new country: It is young, with more than 40 percent of Nepalis in the 16-40 age group. ...
Pedestrians cross the road in front of motorcycles, cars, and buses at the crossroads in Kolkata, India. Photo: Radiokafka / Shutterstock This blog is part of a series that discusses a way forward for South Asian regional integration. That South Asia is brimming with possibilities for economic growth is well-known. It’s what drove us to write A Glass Half Full: The Promise ...
The World Bank team, WePOWER strategic and institutional partners, and high school female students from Nepal gathered at the closing session of the Women in Power Sector Network in South Asia (WePOWER), Feb 21, 2019. Photo: World Bank “There is power in not being alone,” Demetrios Papathanasiou - Practice Manager, South Asia Energy Unit at The World Bank The ...
Learning new skills for better jobs in Bangladesh: Meet Kamrul Nahar Omi The Bangladesh garments industry is poised to grow into a $50 billion industry by 2021 and for this, two million semi-skilled workers are needed. Non-garment industries such as leather, furniture, hospitality and Information & Technology (IT) are also poised to grow. But how can we think equal, build ...
This International Women’s Day I chose to have a conversation with a lady who is recognized as the leading Sri Lankan woman entrepreneur, Mrs. Aban Pestonjee. Her story is an inspiration to youth (male and female) and women who are afraid of failure and taking risks. Starting from a modest home-based business, 50 years ago, today Aban is ...
This International Women’s Day I chose to have a conversation with a lady who is recognized as the leading Sri Lankan woman entrepreneur, Mrs. Aban Pestonjee. Her story is an inspiration to youth (male and female) and women who are afraid of failure and taking risks. Starting from a modest home-based business, 50 years ago, today Aban is ...
This International Women’s Day I chose to have a conversation with a lady who is recognized as the leading Sri Lankan woman entrepreneur, Mrs. Aban Pestonjee. Her story is an inspiration to youth (male and female) and women who are afraid of failure and taking risks. Starting from a modest home-based business, 50 years ago, today Aban is ...
South Asian countries are making progress in clearing the way for women to get jobs and creating a safer work environment for them. Yet, too many women across South Asia are left out of the workforce—and that despite booming economic growth. Credit: World Bank This blog is part of a series examining women’s economic empowerment in South Asia. Starting ...
I just ended my first round of country visits as the World Bank’s Vice President for the South Asia Region. Over and above all, I have been immensely impressed by the resilience, determination, commitment and innovation of the women leaders that I had the privilege to meet during my visits. These women are succeeding in a region where it ...
Exports to Jobs: Boosting the Gains from Trade in South Asia South Asia has grown strongly to reduce poverty and create jobs, but the region remains a development paradox. Despite strong growth, job creation remains weak and is often of poor quality. This is especially true for India, which grew at a rate of 7.2 percent in 2017 and ...
Are students really learning? This is the primary question In Bangladesh, where more than one third of grade 3 students could not be classified as “readers” because they did not score high enough to be tested. In case of mathematics, the share of students who do not meet minimum proficiency is at 60 percent. These assessments confirm the key ...
South Asia has grown strongly to reduce poverty and create jobs, but the region remains a development paradox: Despite strong growth job creation remains weak and is often of poor quality. Sri Lanka grew at an average rate of 5.8 percent from 2010-2017 but the growth of new job opportunities is below what many had hoped for. Most Sri ...
A group watches videos that raise awareness about nutrition and hygiene in the Rangamati district of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh. Photo Credit: ASHIKA Development Associates It was very early in the morning when the call came. Minoti Chakma was in labor, and her husband knew something was not right. She had been in pain for a while. The ...
Women at the custard apple collection center. Photo credit: Rajasthan Grameen Aajeevika Vikas Parishad (RGAVP), Govt. of Rajasthan Pehle mein apne ghar ka paanch hazaar (rupaye) mein bhi kharcha nahi chala paati thi, abh mein pandrah hazaar rupaye mein ghar ka kharcha chalati hu. “Earlier I was not able to contribute even Rs. 5,000 ($69) to run my house. Today, ...
Photo: The World Bank Many people traveling to Nepal choose the Himalayas as their primary destination. After landing in the capital city of Kathmandu, most adrenaline junkies and nature lovers quickly make their way to the mountains to spend days trekking along high peaks. But just five kilometers away from the capital city, there is a special place in ...
A team of young female innovators receiving a prize from the Ministry of Education at the national skills competition. Skills education in Bangladesh has suffered from a negative social stigma, which is gradually changing. Parents were unwilling to send their children to pursue technical education because they didn’t realize its value. Students themselves rarely aspired to be educated in ...
Women knit handicrafts for export at Everest Fashion Fair Craft in Lalitpur, Nepal. Photo: Peter Kapuscinski / World Bank The South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) agreement has been in effect since 2006—with little success. This is in sharp contrast to the ASEAN free trade area (AFTA), which started in 1992 with six six countries and later added more ...
To boost and sustain its energy supply, India needs urgent investments and reforms to fix the inefficiencies that plague its entire electricity supply chain. Credit: World Bank Statistics show that what is commonly perceived as an energy gap in India is actually an efficiency gap.To boost and sustain its energy supply, India needs urgent investments and reforms to fix ...
