As part of drought relief, Ceara has enrolled 200, 000 people in literacy classes and school-repair work.

ECONOMIST: Brazil

Rajasthan, a parched state with a long history of drought-relief works, comes closer to fulfilling that promise than anywhere else, providing 68 days of work on average in the year to March 2008, according to a survey published in Frontline, an Indian newsweekly.

ECONOMIST: Asia