Dasra, a philanthropic foundation in India, has released a comprehensive report regarding social innovation, entrepreneurship and technology in the fight against poverty in the second most populous country in the world. ("Dasra" is Sanskrit for "enlightened giving".) Among my take-aways from this:

India is the eleventh largest producer of energy and among the top five countries in the world in terms of renewable energy capacity. However, lack of grid infrastructure, compromised connectivity and high costs associated with providing consistent power supply have resulted in India having the highest number of people in the world without access to electricity.

This is especially notable given the recent power outages that plagued much of the nation. (Read this piece at the Acton PowerBlog on the topic.)

I also found these statistics to be of interest:

• 85% Farm households earn < $1/day
• 43% farming areas are irrigated
• 80% Public school budget directed towards teacher salaries
• 125,000 Villages are off grid
• <15% people have health care coverage
• 406 million are employed in the informal sector
• 45% of workforce is employed in agriculture

Read this extensive analysis here.

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  Marcela Escobari — Markets, Globalization, & Agriculture

  Director, Harvard Center for International Development, Bolivia

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