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USAID is incubating start-ups to tackle poverty problems
With his nifty PowerPoint slides and carefully crafted pitch, Yashraj Khaitan might be mistaken for any other fast-talking, code-savvy Bay Area millennial boasting that he has hit on the idea to solve a vexing world problem.Yet, in Khaitan's case, some very influential people in Washington think he may be right.The federal government agency charged with easing world hunger and poverty has bet a million dollars on Khaitan's tiny start-up. It is among a handful of companies that the US Agency for International Development is looking to as it seeks to upend the way aid agencies go about trying to improve living conditions in some of the world's most deeply impoverished places.
- Region
- South Asia
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Card payment network RuPay sees boost from Indian government’s financial inclusion scheme
The Indian government's financial inclusion drive to expand banking services in the country is giving a boost to home-grown card payment network RuPay.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Uber in talks with firms to integrate digital wallet in India
Global taxi-hailing company Uber is in talks with firms providing digital wallets and payment gateways in India as it looks to become compliant with local regulations.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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The Man Who Feeds 1.2 Million Kids A Day
Running a massive school meals program that feeds malnourished kids, Manoj Kumar is on a mission to show how entrepreneurs can make real inroads in tackling India's age-old social problems.
- Categories
- Education, Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
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Next generation of microfinance: Leveraging Indonesian experience
The history of microfinance institutions in Indonesia dates back more than 100 years.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Four reasons why Modi’s toilet obsession is good for India
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swach Bharat scheme aims to eliminate open defecation by constructing toilets in every household by 2019. No one doubts the need for the programme. Close to 48% of India’s urban population has no access to toilets. In rural areas, the number stands at 60%.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
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Nepal’s entrepreneurs healing blindness among poor
Many villagers are not aware of how easily cataract can be treated or cured," said Suraj Shrestha, CEO at Anthropose, a Nepal-based enterprise. "The thing that appalls me the most is how people superstitiously believe that cataract is a curse from God. This needs to change," the entrepreneur told Xinhua on Sunday.
- Categories
- Environment, Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
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India’s Bandhan Bank’s plans to usher in a new model in financial inclusion
Bandhan will start its journey with 600 branches. The microfinance company’s existing 2,016 offices will operate as sub-branches, each having an army of salaried field staff to take banking to the villages.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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