Author: Ajit Kanitkar

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Will the post-pandemic government be more responsible and responsive?

COVID-19 crisis showed how government can work with zeal and efficiency. It will be a welcome outcome of the pandemic If the momentum continues in the new normal

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Lacking access to bamboo, Basor artisans struggle for livelihood

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Coordinated efforts are needed to make raw material available for the Basor community, to help sustain their traditional bamboo weaving skills and forest-based livelihood

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Misconceptions about COVID-19 result in poultry value chain erosion – II

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The poultry value chain suffered a macro tragedy due to rumors linking the pandemic and chicken consumption. Compensation to women poultry farmers, infusion of capital and logistics permission can restore the sector

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Thousands of smallholder women poultry farmers lose business to coronavirus misconceptions – I

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More than ten thousand tribal and Dalit small holder poultry farmers who had successfully built cooperative enterprise and escaped poverty, were forced to cull chickens due to rumors linking spread of coronavirus to chicken consumption

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Farmer producer company bridges consumers and farmers during lockdown

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With no transportation, farmers had unsold produce and consumers had no vegetables. With special permission and a mobile app for placing orders, an innovative FPC has fulfilled both needs

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How Jharkhand’s tribal farmers increase farm-based income

Farmers in central Indian tribal belt have adopted various farm-based livelihoods successfully, through Lakhpati Kisan, a program that helps boost their income in a sustainable manner

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A voice against abuse and exploitation

Standing against forced marriages in the old city of Hyderabad, Shaheen has emerged as a space for women of minority and oppressed communities to empower themselves

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Social entrepreneur sets Naga tribes on path of progress

In an underdeveloped part of Jalukie Valley in Nagaland, the church-based Rongmei Baptist Association has gone beyond call of faith to help tribal communities uplift themselves through development interventions

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Tur dal farmers left in the lurch due to tardy procurement

Farmers cultivating pigeon pea continue to suffer losses because of inadequate preparation on the ground for government procurement even as India aims for self-sufficiency in lentil production

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Do farmers’ markets in cities really benefit farmers?

The recent proliferation of weekly farmers’ markets in urban areas is quite useful for consumers but their benefits to farmers are limited at best and cannot replace the practice of selling at wholesale yards

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Varoti villagers demonstrate the power of collective action

A new model of active engagement between villagers, the implementing non-profit and a corporate philanthropic foundation in Varoti village in Maharashtra shows a new way forward for development interventions through the corporate social responsibility route

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Collective farm gate procurement offers solutions to cover price crashes

Farmer producer companies have started to play an important role in procurement from smallholders, which guards against price crashes that has been plaguing marginalized farmers across the country despite record harvests

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Many fellows but not too many ships to anchor

To make fellowships that connect with rural realities really worthwhile, it is necessary to provide pointed guidance through mentors who are ready to engage, a vital aspect that many of the programs are not addressing adequately

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Telangana’s tur dal farmers face yet another uncertain season

The constant swing in the prices of tur dal in Telangana from one year to the next and tardy implementation of the government’s procurement mechanism have made life tough for thousands of subsistence farmers in Kodangal and Husnabad

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Community resource persons are torchbearers of a resurgent countryside

The silent revolution of community resource persons fanning out across the country in the past few years to deliver last-mile services needs to be strengthened to bridge the divide between shining and deprived India

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Fifty years of peace-building efforts in Nagaland

Natwarbhai Thakkar and the Nagaland Gandhi Ashram established by him in Chuchuyimlang village of Mokokchung district have worked unceasingly to integrate Naga society with the national mainstream