High economic growth coupled with rapid urbanization and a rising middle class have created considerable demand for housing and housing finance in South Asia. More than 14% of low-income families in the region have no home. While housing and housing finance markets have grown at a rate of 30%, it is the upper-income families that benefitted the most.

Financial development enhances domestic resource mobilisation and also allows these resources to the most productive uses. While there is little doubt that financial development leads to higher economic growth which may then lead to poverty reduction, financial development in itself will allow developing countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The objective of this policy is to ensure faster economic development employment generation by sustainable use of the resources available in the state. The policy says special attention on promotion of small and medium enterprises to avert the adverse impact of global recession on industrialization in Madhya Pradesh.

This publication presents a strong argument for innovating urban planning to address the contemporary challenges of rapid urbanization and poverty.

This preview of the forthcoming Green Growth, Resources and Resilience report highlights the shifts that have taken place in the outlook for the Asian and Pacific region since 2005. While
the region