Governance

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‘More awareness is needed about safe internet use’

“We need to involve parents in conversations about internet safety,” Unmesh Joshi, co-founder and COO of Responsible Netism, tells Village Square.

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On Kolab reservoir’s perilous pathway, villagers await bridge

Despite being a 15-minute drive from Koraput town in Odisha, 138 villages remain isolated due to the absence of a road bridge over the Kolab reservoir. They currently use a two-foot-wide pathway attached to an old railway bridge.

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Tamil Nadu villagers take it upon themselves to build road

With no redressal of their decades-long request, Kottur Malai villagers pool money and labour to lay a six-kilometre mud road to their village.

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Jharkhand’s McCluskieganj struggles to stay alive

McCluskieganj, a charming hill town near Ranchi, faces an uncertain fate. It grapples with decaying colonial structures, a departed Anglo-Indian community, and environmental threats posed by illegal brick kilns.

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Jharkhand villagers waiting to see ‘light’

Residents of three hamlets in Jharkhand continue to live in darkness as electricity supply is yet to reach them. Lack of hospitals and schools in the vicinity adds to their woes.

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Former bonded labourers champion justice in Punjab

In the heartland of Punjab, people who once endured the shackles of debt and bondage now dedicate their lives to freeing others.

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Poor facilities plague Rajasthan’s anganwadis

With dilapidated buildings that often do not have basic facilities such as water and electricity, the anganwadis in Rajasthan are not able to fully ensure the development of children.

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Mokhada tribal villagers don’t fear the rains anymore

In the quaint tribal taluka of Mokhada nestled in the Sahyadri hills, the construction of a concrete bridge and a tar road marks the beginning of a new chapter.

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Is rural India on the brink of a renaissance?

Will Indian villages be part of the country's galloping growth? A leading development conference holds over 100 conversations to find out.

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‘Women’s quota in panchayat polls not mere rubber stamp’

Dolly, a two-time sarpanch of Shadipur village in Gaya, Bihar, talks about the practice of sarpanch pati in India’s panchayati raj institutions. Dolly left her comfortable corporate job in 2018 to pursue a career in grassroots politics.

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‘Feminist sensitisation is needed for everyone’

What is it like to empower marginalised women to access justice in rural India? We speak to Anshumala of Association for Advocacy and Legal Initiatives Trust (AALI), an organisation working on protection and advancement of women’s rights since 1998.

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How joint farming in Punjab is allowing Dalits to rewrite their destiny

Besides profits, Dalits in 28 villages of Malwa region in Punjab reap pride in jointly cultivating land that rich farmers mostly cultivated in their name earlier.

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What budget 2023-24 means for rural India

In spite of the massive global slowdown caused by COVID-19 and Russia-Ukraine War, India’s economy is set to grow at a whopping 7 percent, according to the just announced Union Budget 2023-24. But what does that mean for rural India?

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Why a road is a roadblock for Bonda Tribes in Odisha

A slushy, patchy, potholed road is pushing up transportation costs, preventing tribal inhabitants of Andrahal village in Odisha's Malkangiri district from availing government loans for building pucca houses.

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Journey towards making Kollam India’s first constitution-literate district

Village Square speaks to Sudesan V of Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) to understand how Kollam achieved the incredible feat of becoming India’s first constitution-literate district educating over 14 lakh individuals and 6 lakh families.

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Last Rajasthan border village suffers separation pangs

Residents of Tanot near the India-Pakistan border have been waiting in vain since partition to meet relatives who became Pakistanis.

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How Kollam became India’s first constitution-literate district

Democracy – without understanding the constitution that protects it – is fatal to society. That’s why one initiative, Citizen 2022, is setting out to ensure more of India’s villagers are constitution literate.

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With nowhere to go, new year brings no cheer to landless Adivasis in Madhya Pradesh

Hundreds of Adivasis of Shukrawasa village in Madhya Pradesh stare at an uncertain future, risking eviction from the land they toil on but do not own.

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Child Trafficking: “To unite children with their parents feels amazing”

Shrishti Shankar leads rescues and raids against child trafficking and child labour in Jharkhand. Working with Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) as Ranchi’s District Coordinator, she also strategizes on the best ways of protecting rural children at the grassroots level.

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Perils of anganwadi worker not showing up for work

A childcare worker in an anganwadi is a vital part of a village - ensuring the health and growth of rural children. A young development professional observes the consequences when there is no worker for months.