Perspectives
Custom of child marriages must be fought on multiple fronts
There is no silver bullet to defeat the scourge of underage marriages. Rather, it is important to extend the scope of current interventions among adolescents and the communities they grow up in, which then need to be backed up by suitable government policies
Water control is the strongest anti-poverty measure
Once we realize that one size does not fit all, it will be easier for the government and civil society organizations to tailor strategies to manage water in the different agro-climatic regions of the country that truly benefits the rural poor
Many fellows but not too many ships to anchor
To make fellowships that connect with rural realities really worthwhile, it is necessary to provide pointed guidance through mentors who are ready to engage, a vital aspect that many of the programs are not addressing adequately
Small pumps are a viable solution for poor farmers
Although small pumps for irrigation doesn’t get the attention it deserves, evidence from groundwater-rich states such as Assam, Jharkhand and Odisha show that they have significant benefits for small and marginal farmers
Time has come to rethink the way we irrigate farmland
Rethinking irrigation needs to focus on end results and in exploring every possible way of reaching water to crop roots. For this to happen, perhaps the hegemony of the irrigation bureaucracy needs to come to an end
Breaking the norm of child marriage an uphill task in Uttar Pradesh
A detailed baseline study conducted in seven districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh shows that underage marriages are still widely prevalent, particularly in disadvantaged communities, and this practice holds back girls from realizing their full potential
Are farmers collateral damage of modern economic growth?
People living in villages, who are migrating in large numbers to urban spaces in search of livelihoods, could be victims of our economic development or perhaps the dismal income growth of farm households is semi-deliberate to keep labor costs low
Community resource persons are torchbearers of a resurgent countryside
The silent revolution of community resource persons fanning out across the country in the past few years to deliver last-mile services needs to be strengthened to bridge the divide between shining and deprived India
Droughts, floods, and suicides: What Bihar can teach Maharashtra and other states
A deeper dive is needed to draw insights from the low prevalence of farmer suicides in Bihar than in more developed regions of India such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh
Fifty years of peace-building efforts in Nagaland
Natwarbhai Thakkar and the Nagaland Gandhi Ashram established by him in Chuchuyimlang village of Mokokchung district have worked unceasingly to integrate Naga society with the national mainstream
Land comes in between plough and plate
Increasing fragmentation of cultivated land in most parts of India makes it difficult to build supply chains of produce from farm gates to end consumers in an efficient and viable manner
Rural men must realize women need secluded bathing spaces
Women taking a bath in the open is a common enough sight in the countryside, which needs to change. For that to happen, it is important to change the mindset of men and their insensitivity towards the issue
Opportunity cost of personal hygiene too high for rural women
Women in India’s villages still have to pay a high cost in terms of mental and physical pain and financial loss because they are often compelled to neglect personal hygiene by bathing hurriedly in the open
Budget has prepared ground for states to usher in transformation
Finance Minster Arun Jaitley has paved way for making significant transformation of rural areas a reachable dream. It is now up to the states to get their acts together and not fritter away the substantial allocations for agriculture and rural development
Women are still considered beasts of burden in rural India
Women carrying enormous head loads remain a common sight in large swathes of the country, indicative of our gender insensitivity and skewed priorities
India should gear up for a blue revolution
The productivity of inland fisheries can be boosted massively if governments get out of the way of operations and let fish enterprises grow across India
Rural women in Samastipur welcome liquor ban in Bihar
Supported wholeheartedly by women in Samastipur district, the prohibition of alcohol in Bihar has freed up resources that can now be leveraged to bring about significant social transformation
It’s much better to dig than to build for water
Learning from some exemplary instances in drought-prone Marathwada, it makes sense for government programs to dig tanks and deepen streams for water sufficiency instead of building expensive structures
Women standing united can power sustainable social change
Women’s collectives can go a long way in sustainably changing socio-economic conditions of villages for the better, often going far beyond planned interventions by state or civil society actors
New education policy fails to address issues of equity
The 2016 education policy of India reinforces the status quo through its tacit acceptance of stratified education, the intense focus on regimented outcomes and competition, and its inability to decentralize and empower teachers