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Poverty Reduction or Redux By Dr Arvind Kumar According to recent media reports on a preview of the US National Intelligence Council’s global forecast offered at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado, it has been estimated that poverty across the planet will be virtually eliminated by 2030, with a rising middle class of some two billion people pushing for more rights and demanding more resources. While forecsting the rise of the global middle class going from one to two billion, the preview further adds that if current trends continue, the 1 billion people who live on less than a dollar a day now will drop to half that number in roughly two decades. While dealing with the negative effects, the preview predicts food demand will rise by 50% in the next 18 years, though global population will only rise from 7.1 to 8.3 billion. Asserting that the middle-class people want middle-class diets, which are heavy in meat, requiring more water and grain to produce, the preview warns that...

Afghanistan--Mineral Wealth By Dr Arvind Kumar The availability of huge reserves of fuel- and non-fuel mineral resources in Afghanistan can help stabilize a war torn can create jobs, industry, wealth and potentially pollution. The United States Geological Survey and the Department of Defense Task Force for Business and Stability Operations in Afghanistan have worked together to map out the natural resources in Afghanistan. The team identified key Areas of Interest (AOI)—and subareas within them—that fit these criteria. The AOIs contain mineral reserves or resources that have been well-documented through sampling in trenches, drill holes, and/or underground workings. Most are accessible by existing roads; so to develop or not to develop. There are vast amounts of minerals present in the country.  There are hazards ranging from earthquakes, general aridity (scare water supplies), and of course, war.  Copper, Chromium, Coal, and gold are just some of the potential depo...

Impending Food Crisis By Dr Arvind Kumar The recent drought in the US has shrivelled most of its maize crop. The US is world's largest producer of maize. Hot weather has also affected crops in South America, Russia, Kazakhstan and China. Maize and wheat prices have climbed in the past two weeks. The question is, ‘Are we headed for another crisis?’ Though food security experts differ on this issue, but there is concern that staple grains like maize and wheat could become less affordable for the poor and sharp fluctuations in prices or volatility could disrupt the efforts of grain-importing poor countries to stay within their budgets. "It is still early days - it might just rain in the US and the situation could improve dramatically," said Abdolreza Abbassian, secretary of the Intergovernmental Group on Grains (IGG) at FAO.  "Our stocks of cereals are relatively comfortable and the situation is not comparable to 2010/11 [when wheat stocks were smaller] or to...

International Illicit Drug Day Against Drug Abuse and Trafficking Dr. Arvind Kumar, President, India Water Foundation invited as a Special Guest on”International Illicit Drug Day Against Drug Abuse and Trafficking " at India Gate on 26th June 2012, where he shared his views along with hon'ble Minister Prof. Kiran Walia, Delhi Government high officials of NCB and Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, activists and academicians, media persons and other organisations. He expressed his views before the huge gathering of school children, RWAs Senior Citizens and urged them to stop the menace of drug abuse. "According to broad estimates, more than 7 million people die annually due to drugs, the breakdown being 5 million (tobacco), 1.8 million (alcohol) and 0.2 million due to illicit drugs (with opiates being involved in about 60% of such illicit drug deaths). False notions of ecstasy, phantasy and illusion spur the youth to get ensnared into drug abuse....

Need for Accountability By Dr Arvind Kumar Urgency for accountability to the people assumes added significance at this critical juncture when the global economy is in for another imminent economic meltdown. It devolves on all governments, civil society and international donors to prepare for accountability to their respective people, by whom they swear to govern. Of late international humanitarian aid agencies are increasingly realizing the importance of being accountable to the people they are trying to help. Undoubtedly, the implementing authorities try to put the lofty concepts into practice, they face many challenges, from the basic - people don’t always understand the word “complaint” – to the complex – how to be accountable when managing a project/policy implementation remotely due to insecurity. According to Maria Kiani, senior accountability adviser with the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP), “Some [organizations] might have very public commitments to acco...