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Returned migrants take to smuggling for want of livelihood

In villages of West Bengal close to the Indo – Bangladesh border, migrants back home during the lockdown have been lured into smuggling for financial sustenance

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Villagers save in a deity’s name for rainy day

Village God’s Funds, a traditional practice of pooling money and lending to shareholders with just a social collateral, help villagers save and borrow money for emergencies

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Women grassroots health workers take to cycling for better reach

Accredited social health activists, who were dependent on the men in their family to commute or walked many miles every day, have become punctual and efficient after learning to cycle

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Elephants establish new habitat in Andhra Pradesh

Farmers suffer crop damages as elephants re-colonize the state after centuries. While Wildlife Week celebrations are on, experts advocate long-term planning to minimize conflicts

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Mandatory Aadhar seeding impedes access to welfare schemes

Linking of Aadhar with ration cards and bank accounts, mandated to weed out fake beneficiaries of government entitlements, has left many without much-needed benefits during the lockdown

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Online classes spell end of education for rural girls

With boys getting preference to use the single multimedia phone at home, girls from poor rural households have discontinued studies, resigning themselves to an early marriage

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Lockdown threw new hardships along nomadic herders’ paths

Their migration towards summer pastures coinciding with the first lockdown, and with severe restrictions on movement, pastoralists lacked access to pastures, water and fodder, besides facing discrimination

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Treatment and awareness help women overcome anemia

Extensive testing, treating the affected, and awareness about food habits to change malnutrition status have brought down the prevalence of anemia and improved the health of women

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

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

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How village organizations effect change in rural India

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

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Woman panchayat chief on course to transform village

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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

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How interactive audio helped migrants during lockdown

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

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Lift Irrigation helps monsoon-reliant farmers flourish

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

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Sahyadri farmers practice shifting cultivation amid ecological concerns

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

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Thriving through challenges, young farmer offers hope, motivation

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

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Tribute to champion of traditional phad irrigation system

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

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Adivasi communities restore common wells during lockdown

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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

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Families learn to navigate lockdown together

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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

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Lack of livelihood pushes returned migrants back to cities

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

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Adivasis on course to revive traditional farm practices

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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