The visiting IMF mission has asked Islamabad "to reduce its trade and commerce reliance on Beijing" and look for other international options by signing free trade agreements (FTA) with other countries too, a media report said on Friday.
India's Poverty Reduction: But Is It Translating into Shared Economic Prosperity?
India has demonstrated that economic growth, social transfers and improved access to essential services can substantially reduce extreme deprivation. But the next stage will be considerably more demanding. It requires a different pattern of growth: one that creates productive jobs, raises real wages, increases women's economic independence and distributes the gains from growth more widely
India Growing Rapidly, Yet Youth Restlessness and General Pessimism Remains a Paradox
Youth restlessness must be understood against this background. Families have invested in education, often through considerable sacrifice. Qualifications raise expectations of economic mobility. When stable employment remains elusive, disappointment is understandable.
Can South Asia Build a Microfinance System That Protects the Poor?
Samurdhi’s community-based banking system provides a foundation in Sri Lanka through savings, member participation and livelihood support. Bangladesh’s Grameen Bank offers useful lessons in lending without conventional collateral, organising small borrower groups and placing women at the centre of financial participation.
Divided Growth in South Asia: Need for Regional Economic Architecture
The October 2026 IMF WEO projections show that South Asia's growth prospects do not follow a uniform pattern. These differences are not a reason to abandon regional cooperation, but rather a basis for strengthening more inclusive and productive integration mechanisms.
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