Governance
Volunteers in Odisha ensure stranded migrants do not go hungry
Social service personnel working on migration issues network with philanthropists, administrators and volunteers to ensure stranded Odia migrants and other state migrants in Odisha are fed
Multi-pronged approach will reboot flagging rural economy
Enhancing the resilience of rural production system through multiple measures, besides soil and water conservation initiatives would help the rural populace find a firm footing
Disrupted supply chains need to be mended to revive rural economy
Infusion of working capital at some levels of the supply chain and easing of transportation regulations would put ruptured supply chains back on track and reboot rural economy
How a tribal community took measures to guard itself against COVID-19
Though remote, Sittilingi Valley in Tamil Nadu, has a sizeable population that migrates for work. This prompted a proactive panchayat leadership to rally the community around to safeguard itself
Closure of seasonal hostels leaves migrants’ children in the lurch
While the lockdown left migrants stranded at destination sites, their children staying in seasonal hostels had to be sheltered with relatives or had to fend for themselves
How COVID-19 would impact rural India and its economy
With no urban economic activities because of the lockdown, migrants who have returned to native villages and rural workers will feel the pinch in the coming months
Urgent government intervention needed for migrants in transit
With the countrywide lockdown to arrest spread of COVID-19, migrant workers who started returning home from destination sites are caught in borders with scant amenities. Government needs to intervene to ensure safe passage
Nutrition gardens help students learn better and eat better
Growing vegetables and fruits in schools with community support improves tribal students’ conceptual understanding of science and maths, and helps them eat a nutritious meal
How bike ambulances help patients in remote areas access hospitals
For far-flung villages separated by forests with no access roads, reaching hospitals has been difficult. Bike ambulances fill the access gap, enabling patients get emergency medical care
Community kitchens help tribal children overcome malnutrition
Rough terrains hampering access to anganwadi centers and hence nutritious food, men bring anganwadi ration to the village; women cook in a common facility and feed the children, to fight malnutrition
Land allotment helps single women live with dignity
The Odisha government’s free allocation of land, combined with the central government’s housing funds, have enabled single women in rural areas to build houses for themselves
Land rights on pastures empower deprived communities
Giving land rights to landless and nomadic people in Maharashtra on degraded pastures have provided these marginalized communities with a reasonable livelihood
Local livelihoods curb exploitative labor trafficking
To stop poor villagers from becoming bonded migrant labor, the Odisha government needs to strengthen latest steps to cut out middlemen and boost the rural jobs guarantee program with higher wages
Child panchayats spur village leaders to improve services
Knowing their rights to life and social protection, school students in child panchayats have compelled rural administrators to provide basic amenities necessary for the development of their villages
Farmer producer companies: let a thousand balloons float
While farmer producer companies mushroom across the country because of government’s financial incentives, problems in input delivery and sale of produce persist, making their long-term sustenance difficult
Cattle trade dwindles at Sonepur Mela
Enforcement of laws related to cattle trade has affected the famed Sonepur cattle fair, with cattle numbers decreasing steadily at the fair and sale dwindling by the year
India needs poverty fighters to boost rural incomes
Ending endemic economic poverty in the central and eastern parts of rural India needs more numbers of trained foot soldiers to deal with the complex realities on the ground
Stigmatized Lodha tribe starts new life trajectory
Education and sports have helped the Lodhas, a particularly vulnerable tribal community that was forced to lead an excluded life because they were stigmatized as thieves, to increasingly join the mainstream
Families along Brahmaputra lose land to river erosion
Having lost homesteads and farmlands to river erosion, Assam’s farmers living in makeshift camps seek government intervention, even as state administration tries to rework a rehabilitation scheme announced in 2015