Uncertainty clouds future of returned migrant youth

The migrant youth who were stranded in Rajkot, sent a picture of themselves, seeking help to return to their village during lockdown (Photo by Gulab Singh)

Panna’s rural youth migrated with the hope that their remittances would promote progress. Back after the lockdown and with no local work, they are unsure of their future

Collectives empower women to address community’s challenges

Coming together as an SHG has helped women to supplement household income and address issues that the community faces (Photo by Palak Gosai)

Varsha, a Amullakhurd village resident in her late teens, was interested in joining her village self-help group. Her husband stopped her from joining. “He failed to understand why collectives were being formed. He thought that it is something wrongful and I shouldn’t be given the freedom to choose,” she recalled. Priya was not allowed to… Continue reading Collectives empower women to address community’s challenges

Strawberry cultivation brings sweet success to farmers

Growing strawberries and marketing them directly to consumers has increased the income of farmers in Usmanpur, Bihar (Photo by Ram Datt)

Marketing their vegetables posing a challenge, Bhagalpur farmers made little money despite favorable agro-climatic conditions. Switching to strawberry cultivation and direct marketing have turned their fortunes

Specialized agency rescues children, facilitates legal adoption

Specialized Adoption Agencies, such as Gramya Vikash Mancha in Nalbari district, rescue abandoned and surrendered children, and facilitate legal adoption (Photo by Bhaskar Boro)

In a government – civil society partnership, approved agency rescues abandoned and illegally adopted children, and takes cares of them till their legal adoption comes through

Landless tribes fulfill nutritient needs by growing vegetables in bags

For women like Shevantibai, who have no land, growing vegetables in bags, provides them much-needed nutrition at no cost (Photo by Kailas Kokare)

Lack of land and water left tribes without vegetables in their diet, as buying vegetables was beyond their means. Growing vegetables in bags fulfills the need at no cost

Farmers cash in on demand for immunity boosters

Farmer members like Mohana Balasubramani prepare moringa oil, given the demand for immunity boosting moringa products (Photo courtesy Karthikeyan Meivanan)

With no signs of the coronavirus infection abating, moringa farmers in Tamil Nadu use the increasing demand for natural immunity boosters to their advantage, by value addition

Losing livelihood, landless families bear the lockdown brunt

Unable to ply his e-rickshaw and repay his vehicle loan during lockdown, Jewel Hazowary, belonging to a landless tribal community works as a farmhand (Photo by Deepti Goyari)

Entrepreneurial villagers from landless tribal communities opted for alternate livelihoods. Despite easing of lockdown restrictions, the current challenges are pushing them back to poverty

How online education fares in rural Odisha

A volunteer from Jeebika Suraksha Mancha conducting remedial class, as online education is out of reach for most rural students (Photo by Naba Kishor Pujari)

Inadequate digital infrastructure forces rural children to lose touch with their lessons and take up work. Classroom learning is their only hope of getting educated

Returned migrants: A pause or the end of a dream?

Men who migrate - seen here during a break - to work in brick kilns and construction sites, are back in the village, facing an uncertain future (Photo credit: TRF Multimedia)

Lockdown has forced migrant workers to return home. Left with no cash savings and duped of overdue wages, their future seems uncertain more than ever

Children learn through innovative videos during lockdown

In Seekh program, teachers and volunteers use video content to help children in villages without mobile connectivity learn during lockdown (Photo courtesy Santosh Kumar Mandavi)

Coordinated efforts of teachers, volunteers and parents, who receive custom-designed video content on mobile phones, help children of primary classes in remote villages stay connected to their lessons

Returned migrants prefer local livelihoods in native region

Returned migrant youth have not been able to find work. They wish to be skilled and employed locally. (Photo courtesy: Martin Rabha)

Villagers who migrated to other states for want of local livelihoods are back and do not wish to migrate again. They seek creation of local earning avenues

Supply to institutions helps FPOs sell mangoes during lockdown

Volunteers from NDDB picked up their mango orders, delivered directly by Gujpro (Photo courtesyProf Shambu Prasad)

The lockdown disrupted the supply of an FPO’s carbide-free mangoes to its market in Ahmedabad. Collective action by Anand’s institutional staff enabled delivery of mangoes directly to consumers

With urban patronage, khun weavers hope for better market

Weaving khun fabric of increased widths, the weavers of Guledagudda hope for a better market (Photo courtesy Vaishali Shadangule)

Weaving cloths of increased widths that would lend khun fabric to be made into clothes other than saree blouses, khun weavers move beyond rural patronage and into fashion world

Multi-pronged plan would help Northeast create sustainable economy

A multipronged utilizing the social capital that includes health workers and returned migrants would help the Northeast move forward (Photo courtesy: thefederal.com )

The Northeast, with its past social instability and lack of livelihood avenues lags in development. The pandemic gives the region an opportunity to develop a new economy

Nomadic Molesalams peddle traditional medicine despite challenges

Despite meager income, the traditional medicine men of Molesalam community hawk their medicine, going from one place to another (Photo by Shilpa Bhakare)

Despite a meager income, inability to avail government benefits and their children missing education, the traditional medicine men continue their trade among loyal rural clientele

Women unite to address problems and transform their village

Coal mining has created barren valleys near Rampur village, the residents fighting against mining in their village (Photo by Kailas Kokare)

Under an umbrella village organization, members of women self-help groups address common problems in their village, including a stand-off against a mining company

Amphan deals a severe blow to struggling Sundarbans villagers

Standing crops, seen here before the cyclone, have been completely damaged by seawater entering the land during Cyclone Amphan (Photo by Abhijeet Jadhav)

With standing crops lost and soil turning saline when seawater came in, the cyclone has aggravated villagers’ malnutrition and food security problems, adding to their lockdown woes

How Nivaje transformed into a model village

Dattatraya Sawant, a farmer, coordinates with villagers and other stakeholders, to improve livelihoods and make Nivaje a model village (Photo by Hiren Kumar Bose)

With SRI method to boost paddy yield, establishing cooperative dairy to improve livelihood, and installing biogas plants for energy needs, Nivaje has become a sustainable community

Returned migrants: Despair and coping

For many returned migrants like Jagendra Rajbhonsi, seen here working his homestead land in Chirang, there is no local avenue for a livelihood (Photo credit: Yapi Kop)

Distance to host city, commitment of employer and livelihood opportunity at native village help returned workers decide on post-lockdown migration. Till then they cope with available resources