Women-centric interventions needed for flood-ravaged Sundarbans islands

After men migrate for work, women of Mousuni Island in the Sundarbans in West Bengal have to struggle for survival, losing land to floods and erosion, and livelihoods to salinity ingress

Community radios in Odisha help improve gender parity

Broadcasting programs on gender inequality and against stigmas suffered by women in Odisha, community radio stations have effected a positive change in rural communities where girls are still the ignored population

Farmers grow coconuts in deserts to improve livelihoods

Many farmers in India, the world’s top coconut producing country, have successfully introduced coconut farming in arid regions to meet growing demand and to boost earnings

Today’s Meerabai quenches thirst in Rajasthan villages

Stepping into an all-male preserve, mechanic Meerabai Meena of Padoona village in Udaipur district traverses hilly terrain every day, repairing hand pumps to ensure safe drinking water for residents in five villages

Hiccups of clean growth or wages of stupid policy?

Should we opt for an economy that thrives on facelessness and tax evasion just because it supports livelihoods of a class of the poor, or should we opt for a more formal and compliant economy, knowing that there will be hiccups?

Women in Pakur use education to achieve development goals

With a strong belief that education would lead the community to achieve sustainable development goals, a night school in Ilami panchayat in Jharkhand educates and empowers women

Jharkhand kitchen gardens add nutrition to food basket

Kitchen gardens tended by women in Gumla district boost rural diets by providing a rich variety of local cereals, pulses and vegetables, cut expenditure on purchases while improving their nutritional status

Chosen to be a model village, yet to become one

With proactive villagers and panchayat leaders, Ansarwada in Maharashtra, chosen to be a model village under Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, has made satisfactory progress, but has to clear stumbling blocks to become a full-fledged model village

In Gandhi’s Gujarat, potters keep shine on Hindu-Muslim amity

Despite insufficient income, lean periods during monsoons and unexpected hardship such as the floods this year, the Sumra Muslim potters return every year to Sarkhej Roza, where the pots they make are bought by Hindu wholesale traders, evoking secular unity

Women of Lalganj mobilize community to bring doctors to their doorsteps

Increased healthcare expenses and lack of access to hospitals prompt a women’s collective in eastern Uttar Pradesh to run a biweekly village clinic on family subscriptions

How can we kick-start Make in Rural India?

A significant portion of the government’s flagship Make in India initiative can be realized in the country’s rural areas through enterprises that have potential to benefit and provide employment to a large number of people

Bengal’s farmers are behind Kolkata’s stunning Durga Puja pandals

Designing and building the temporary pavilions that house the deity during West Bengal’s biggest annual festival remains the preserve of rural artisans — chiefly farmers and folk artists — despite an increasing presence of professionals from creative arts in this field

Niyamgiri tribe revive wild harvests after Vedanta victory

Judicious use of wild uncultivated foods and revival of indigenous crops are helping the Dongria Kondh tribe of Niyamgiri to boost food security beyond their successful campaign against mining giant Vedanta

Mutlupur farmers transform neglected wetland into integrated farm

A group of farmers have converted a shunned wetland to practice fish farming, agroforestry and horticulture, providing employment and livelihood opportunities to impoverished villagers

Poor flood planning is destroying livelihoods in south Bengal

Breach of riverbanks after torrential rains and water released from overflowing reservoirs flood southern portions of West Bengal, leading to loss of livelihoods and complete disruption of life

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