India's economic transformation over the past two decades has lifted millions out of poverty. But this growth has not been evenly distributed. Persistent disparities in income, expenditure and savings highlight a fragile narrative of inequality. ET Year-end Special Reads Corporate Kalesh: Top family disputes of India Inc in 2024 The world of business lost these eminent people in 2024 Fast, faster, fastest: How 2024 put more speed into your shopping Income In 2005, income Gini coefficient was 0.48, indicating high inequality. This declined to 0.40 by 2014 and 2016 due to welfare programmes and rising rural incomes. But Covid pushed Gini to 0.53, its highest during the period undertaken by the PRICE ICE 360° income survey, as informal sector workers faced challenges while wealthier households benefited from asset price increases. By 2023, cash transfers and food subsidies reduced Gini to 0.41, reflecting partial recovery. Brazil's experience parallels India's. The Bolsa Familia cash transfer programme reduced its income inequality from 0.60 to 0.53 by 2014, but recessions and Covid reversed these gains, with inequality rising to 0.57. Both India and Brazil highlight the vulnerability of progress to external shocks and the need for sustained social policies. Expenditure This has been lower than income inequality, reflecting consumption-smoothing mechanisms like subsidies and remittances. Expenditure Gini declined from 0.36 in 2005 to 0.31 in 2011, showing improved access to essential goods and services for low-income households. But between 2014 and 2016, it plateaued at 0.33. Covid caused a spike to 0.46 in 2021, as wealthier households maintained consumption levels, while poorer households cut back. By 2023, expenditure inequality fell to 0.36, indicating recovery. South Africa provides a comparable example. While its income inequality is among the highest globally, programmes like Child Support Grant and Old Age Pension have stabilised expenditure inequality at lower levels. However, these efforts demonstrate that addressing consumption disparities alone can't resolve underlying structural inequalities. 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In 2005, savings Gini coefficient was 0.78, highlighting severe disparities in wealth accumulation. By 2014, it improved to 0.60 due to financial inclusion programmes like Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, which brought millions into the formal financial system. Covid disrupted this progress, pushing savings Gini to 0.73 in 2021 as wealthier households saved more while poorer households struggled. By 2023, it improved to 0.56, but wealth accumulation gaps persist. Indonesia's experience echoes these challenges. Despite progress in financial inclusion, wealth disparities endure due to unequal access to investments like real estate and equities, concentrated among the wealthy. This underscores the need for policies that address systemic barriers to wealth creation. Dimensions of inequality are interconnected, influencing broader economic outcomes. Income inequality directly drives savings inequality, as higher-income households can save and invest more, compounding wealth disparities. Expenditure inequality reflects disparities in access to goods and services, further amplifying income and savings gaps. Experiences from Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia reveal that addressing only one dimension of inequality is insufficient. Policies must focus on income generation, equitable consumption and wealth accumulation to achieve inclusive growth. Structural factors underlie India's inequality trends. Economic changes have disproportionately benefited high-skilled and urban populations, leaving low-income and rural households behind. The pandemic widened these disparities, particularly for informal sector workers and marginalised groups. Financial inclusion has improved banking access, but wealth-building barriers persist. Redistribution policies like rural employment schemes and direct benefit transfers reduce inequality but require scaling up to tackle systemic challenges effectively. Expanding MGNREGA to urban areas can offer a crisis safety net. Progressive taxation, including wealth and luxury taxes, could fund redistributive programmes. Investing in education and skills is vital for low-income workers in growth sectors like tech and manufacturing. Financial inclusion must foster wealth creation via credit and investments. Targeted rural development in infra, healthcare, and education is key to reducing regional disparities and driving inclusive growth. The PRICE ICE 360° surveys reveal that while progress has been made, external shocks like the pandemic expose the fragility of these gains. Policymakers must prioritise resilience and inclusivity to ensure economic growth benefits for all. Reducing inequality is not only a moral imperative but also a prerequisite for sustainable development.Zerbor Introduction The VanEck Mortgage REIT Income ETF ( NYSEARCA: MORT ) has significantly underperformed the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust ( SPY ) so far in 2024, delivering a ~0.4% gain against the ~26% total return for the S&P 500 tracking ETF: I Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. 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SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Shares of ASP Isotopes Inc. (NASDAQ: ASPI) have continue their downward spiral falling 16% over the past five days, despite the company having issued a rebuttal to a scathing report from activist short-seller Fuzzy Panda Research . The stock price trades at $4.52 per share, marking a 40% decline since the release of the short seller report late last month. The Fuzzy Panda report, published on November 26, accused ASP Isotopes of misleading investors about the viability of its nuclear fuel technologies. These allegations have not only sent the company's stock spiraling but have also triggered a securities class action lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Hagens Berman urges investors in ASP Isotopes who suffered substantial losses to submit your losses now . Class Period: Oct. 30, 2024 – Nov. 26, 2024 Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Feb. 3, 2025 Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/aspi Contact the Firm Now: ASPI@hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895 ASP Isotopes Inc. (ASPI) Securities Class Action: The lawsuit claims that ASP Isotopes overstated the effectiveness of its enrichment technologies, including its Aerodynamic Separation Process (ASP) and Quantum Enrichment, and misled investors about the potential of its high-assay low-enriched uranium facility. The Fuzzy Panda report, which alleges that ASPI's technology is "outdated and unlikely to be commercially viable," has further fueled investor concerns. The report contends that the company employs "old, disregarded laser enrichment technology" to falsely portray itself as a cutting-edge player in the nuclear fuel industry. It also claims that former executives of Centrus Energy had deemed ASPI's technology "virtually worthless." Following the release of the report, ASPI's stock price plunged 23% in a single trading day. The events have prompted shareholder rights firm Hagens Berman to investigate potential investor losses. “We are investigating whether ASP Isotopes misled investors about the true potential and viability of its enrichment technologies," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the firm's investigation. If you invested in ASP Isotopes or have knowledge that may assist the firm’s investigation, submit your losses now » If you’d like more information and answers to frequently asked questions about the ASP Isotopes case and our investigation, read more » Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding ASP Isotopes should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email ASPI@hbsslaw.com . About Hagens Berman Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs’ rights complex litigation firm focusing on corporate accountability. The firm is home to a robust practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and other wrongdoings. Hagens Berman’s team has secured more than $2.9 billion in this area of law. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com . Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw . Contact: Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895MaxBotix Expands Product Line with New Industry-Standard 4-20mA Output for PLC Compatibility
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Tescha Hawley (right) and her mother, Janice Hawley, serve food from Tescha’s nonprofit to cross-country teams at the Harlem Invitational in Harlem, Montana. Tescha began the Day Eagle Hope Project to improve the health of her community after seeing how hard it was to access care when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2016. (Jessica Plance/KFF Health News/TNS) Tescha Hawley, a citizen of the Gros Ventre Tribe who lives on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana, is among the patients who say they were stuck with medical debt that the Indian Health Service should have paid. (Jessica Plance/KFF Health News/TNS) Tescha Hawley (center) sits for a portrait with her children, Tearia Sunchild (left) and Trayce Sunchild, near Jim Brown Creek on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana. Tescha says hospital bills from her son’s birth that the Indian Health Service promised to pay were sent to debt collectors in her name. The financial consequences lasted years. (Jessica Plance/KFF Health News/TNS) Tescha Hawley (right) and her mother, Janice Hawley, serve food from Tescha’s nonprofit to cross-country teams at the Harlem Invitational in Harlem, Montana. Tescha began the Day Eagle Hope Project to improve the health of her community after seeing how hard it was to access care when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2016. (Jessica Plance/KFF Health News/TNS) Tescha Hawley (right) and her mother, Janice Hawley, serve food from Tescha’s nonprofit to cross-country teams at the Harlem Invitational in Harlem, Montana. Tescha began the Day Eagle Hope Project to improve the health of her community after seeing how hard it was to access care when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2016. (Jessica Plance/KFF Health News/TNS) By Katheryn Houghton and Arielle Zionts, KFF Health News (TNS) Tescha Hawley learned that hospital bills from her son’s birth had been sent to debt collectors only when she checked her credit score while attending a home-buying class. The new mom’s plans to buy a house stalled. Hawley said she didn’t owe those thousands of dollars in debts. The federal government did. Hawley, a citizen of the Gros Ventre Tribe, lives on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana. The Indian Health Service is a federal agency that provides free health care to Native Americans, but its services are limited by a chronic shortage of funding and staff. Hawley’s local Indian Health Service hospital wasn’t equipped to deliver babies. But she said staff there agreed that the agency would pay for her care at a privately owned hospital more than an hour away. That arrangement came through the Purchased/Referred Care program, which pays for services Native Americans can’t get through an agency-funded clinic or hospital. Federal law stresses that patients approved for the program aren’t responsible for any of the costs. But tribal leaders, health officials, and a new federal report say patients are routinely billed anyway as a result of backlogs or mistakes from the Indian Health Service, financial middlemen, hospitals, and clinics. The financial consequences for patients can last years. Those sent to collections can face damaged credit scores, which can prevent them from securing loans or require them to pay higher interest rates. The December report , by the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, found these long-standing problems contribute to people in Native American-majority communities being nearly twice as likely to have medical debt in collections compared with the national average. And their amount of medical debt is significantly higher. The report found the program is often late to pay bills. In some cases, hospitals or collection agencies hound tribal citizens for more money after bills are paid. Hawley’s son was born in 2003. She had to wait another year to buy a home, as she struggled to pay off the debt. It took seven years for it to drop from her credit report. “I don’t think a person ever recovers from debt,” Hawley said. Hawley, a cancer survivor, still must navigate the referral program. In 2024 alone, she received two notices from clinics about overdue bills. Frank White Clay, chairman of the Crow Tribe in Montana, testified about the impact of wrongful billing during a U.S. House committee hearing in April. He shared stories of veterans rejected for home loans, elders whose Social Security benefits were reduced, and students denied college loans and federal aid. “Some of the most vulnerable people are being harassed daily by debt collectors,” White Clay said. No one is immune from the risk. A high-ranking Indian Health Service official learned during her job’s background check that her credit report contained referred-care debt, the federal report found. Native Americans face disproportionately high rates of poverty and disease , which researchers link to limited access to health care and the ongoing impact of racist federal policies . White Clay is among many who say problems with the referred-care program are an example of the U.S. government violating treaties that promised to provide for the health and welfare of tribes in return for their land. The chairman’s testimony came during a hearing on the Purchased and Referred Care Improvement Act, which would require the Indian Health Service to create a reimbursement process for patients who were wrongfully billed. Committee members approved the bill in November and sent it for consideration by the full House. A second federal bill, the Protecting Native Americans’ Credit Act , would prevent debt like Hawley’s from affecting patients’ credit scores. The bipartisan bill hadn’t had a hearing by mid-December. The exact number of people wrongfully billed isn’t clear, but the Indian Health Service has acknowledged it has work to do. The agency is developing a dashboard to help workers track referrals and to speed up bill processing, spokesperson Brendan White said. It’s also trying to hire more referred-care staff, to address vacancy rates of more than 30%. Officials say problems with the program also stem from outside health providers that don’t follow the rules. Melanie Egorin, an assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said at the hearing that the proposed legislation doesn’t include consequences for “bad actors” — health facilities that repeatedly bill patients when they shouldn’t. “The lack of enforcement is definitely a challenge,” she said. But tribal leaders warned that penalties could backfire. Related Articles Health | How America lost control of the bird flu, setting the stage for another pandemic Health | How to kick back, relax and embrace a less-than-perfect holiday Health | New childhood leukemia protocol is ‘tremendous win’ Health | For some FSA dollars, it’s use it or lose it at year’s end Health | Norovirus is rampant. Blame oysters, cruise ships and holiday travel White Clay told lawmakers that some clinics already refuse to see patients if the Indian Health Service hasn’t paid for their previous appointments. He’s worried the threat of penalties would lead to more refusals. If that happens, White Clay said, Crow tribal members who already travel hours to access specialty treatment would have to go even farther. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau report found clinics are already refusing to see any referred-care patients due to the program’s payment problems. The bureau and the Indian Health Service also recently published a letter urging health care providers and debt collectors not to hold patients accountable for program-approved care. White, the Indian Health Service spokesperson, said the agency recently updated the referred-care forms sent to outside hospitals and clinics to include billing instructions and to stress that patients aren’t liable for any out-of-pocket costs. And he said the staff can help patients get reimbursed if they have already paid for services that were supposed to be covered. Joe Bryant, an Indian Health Service official who oversees efforts to improve the referral program, said patients can ask credit bureaus to remove debt from their reports if the agency should have covered their bills. Leaders with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Washington state helped shape the proposed legislation after their citizens were repeatedly harmed by wrongful billing. Tribal Chairman Jarred-Michael Erickson said problems began in 2017, when a regional Indian Health Service office took over the referred-care program from local staff. It “created a domino effect of negative outcomes,” Erickson wrote in a letter to Congress. He said some tribal members whose finances were damaged stopped using the Indian Health Service. Others avoided health care altogether. Responsibility for the Colville Reservation program transferred back to local staff in 2022. Staffers found the billing process hadn’t been completed for thousands of cases, worth an estimated $24 million in medical care, Erickson told lawmakers . Workers are making progress on the backlog and they have explained the rules to outside hospitals and clinics, Erickson said. But he said there are still cases of wrongful billing, such as a tribal member who was sent to collections after receiving a $17,000 bill for chemotherapy that the agency was supposed to pay for. Erickson said the tribe is in the process of taking over its health care facilities instead of having the Indian Health Service run them. He and others who work in Native American health said tribally managed units — which are still funded by the federal agency — tend to have fewer problems with their referred-care programs. For example, they have more oversight over staff and flexibility to create their own payment tracking systems. But some Native Americans oppose tribal management because they feel it releases the federal government from its obligations. Beyond wrongful billing, access to the referred-care program is limited because of underfunding from Congress. The $1 billion budget this year is $9 billion short of the need, according to a committee report by tribal health and government leaders. Donald Warne, a physician and member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, called the proposed legislation a “band-aid.” He said the ultimate solution is for Congress to fully fund the Indian Health Service, which would reduce the need for the referred-care program. Back in Montana, Hawley said she braces for a fight each time she gets a bill that the referral program was supposed to cover. “I’ve learned not to trust the process,” Hawley said. ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.The aching Steelers still control their destiny in the AFC North. Their grasp, however, is slipping