How to ensure better well-being of India’s elderly

India’s sizeable elderly population needs medical care and emotional care (Photo courtesy Sugandhi Baliga)

On this International Elders’ Day, success of an intervention offering social bonding, and health cards providing the elderly easy access to health care, point the way for effective elder care

How village organizations effect change in rural India

Coming together as a collective helps rural women bring about changes at the personal as well as at the community level (Photo by Bipin Sahoo)

Coming together as a collective helps women shed their inhibitions and realize their potential by working towards personal growth and amplify their voices in confronting disparities

Woman panchayat chief on course to transform village

Kanku Ben Amritlal supervised COVID-19 preventive measures and monitored through CCTV surveillance, to ensure everyone followed rules (Photo by SETU team)

From efficient COVID-19 preparedness and relief measures to advocating girls’ education and converting a dumping ground into a park, Kanku Ben Amritlal offers hope in rural development

How interactive audio helped migrants during lockdown

CHIRAGVaani, an integrated voice response system, enabled stranded migrants send messages and get rations or return home (Photo courtesy PRADAN)

An existing interactive voice response system was refashioned, enabling migrant workers in destination cities get messages regarding their circumstances across, subsequently facilitating their return

Lift Irrigation helps monsoon-reliant farmers flourish

Installing lift irrigation system has helped tribal farmers in Murshidabad district move from growing a single crop to three crops a year (Photo by Nitesh Jain)

With farms lying above Kalnai River, farmers grew rain-fed paddy or jute. Community-owned lift irrigation helps them grow more crops, get better yield and earn more

Sahyadri farmers practice shifting cultivation amid ecological concerns

Farmers in the Sahyadri mountain slopes near Pune have been practicing slash-and-burn agriculture for generations (Photo by Kailas Kokare)

Older generation of farmers in western Maharashtra continue to practice age-old slash-and-burn cultivation on the slopes of Western Ghats, despite economic and ecological unsustainability

Thriving through challenges, young farmer offers hope, motivation

Young farmer Rasika Phatak, seen in her paddy field, has benefitted through a recent farming technique, harvesting record yields despite monsoon flooding (Photo by Hiren Kumar Bose)

Hailing from a farming family, a young woman has qualified herself in agriculture, succeeding despite weather-related problems. Now she motivates other farmers, especially women, on adopting new techniques and enhancing income

Tribute to champion of traditional phad irrigation system

Sunil Pote championed the revival of traditional phad irrigation system in western Maharashtra (Photo courtesy Sanjiv Phansalkar)

Phad, a traditional irrigation management system in Maharashtra, fell into disrepair. Sunil Pote, a development worker revived it, enabling numerous farmers irrigate their lands and increase income

Adivasi communities restore common wells during lockdown

Returned migrant youth and residents of Kanela village restored their well during lockdown, to overcome water scarcity (Photo by Saloni Mundra)

When repeated requests for better access to drinking water failed, members of a women’s collective convinced returned migrant youth to restructure community wells during lockdown

Families learn to navigate lockdown together

Engaging with grandparents and learning about how they overcame past epidemics help children overcome fear (Photo courtesy Bastar Sewak Mondal)

Setting aside livelihood concerns, rural parents learn to engage with their children and keep them occupied productively with local resources, to ensure the children’s emotional well-being

Lack of livelihood pushes returned migrants back to cities

Rajasthan migrants could return easily from neighboring Gujarat during lockdown. But with no rural employment, they are going back to the cities (Photo by Ishan Agrawal)

Lakhs of rural Rajasthan migrants returned easily during lockdown since they worked in neighboring Gujarat. However, with no local employment avenues, the urban exodus would start again

Adivasis on course to revive traditional farm practices

Terrace farming has been introduced in Chataniha, as part of the reskilling of farmers (Photo by Jostine A)

Deskilling of Central Indian Plateau Adivasis has led to loss of traditional knowledge and indigenous seeds. Efforts are on to reskill them by reviving traditional practices

Farmers rear fish in farm ponds for increased income

Farmers have benefited by rearing fish in farm ponds and growing vegetables on bunds (Photo by Sharada Balasubramanian)

Frequent cyclones and industrial fishing have impacted the lives of fishermen and farmers in Nagapattinam. Rearing fish in farm ponds and growing crops on bunds have boosted their income

Of cockroaches and digital health records

Government’s digital health policy may not make headway if neglected rural health care system is restored (Photo courtesy -Basudev Mahapatra)

While digital health policy and proposed digitization of health records look good on paper, for it to be effective, basic rural health care services should function

Women get a second chance to complete education

Second Chance, an education program, is helping many women who had dropped out of school complete their school education (Photo courtesy Manjari Foundation)

Girls who had dropped out because of lack of access to schools and early marriage have enrolled in a program, so as to complete education

Bank sakhis help villagers get lockdown financial relief

Bank sakhis have been the last mile link in ensuring that the government’s financial support during lockdown reached the rural beneficiaries (Photo by Amritesh Kumar, PRADAN)

In villages that lack banking facilities, banking correspondents carry out related work as banks’ representatives. They have been instrumental in beneficiaries receiving their lockdown welfare support