The story of Paromita Mondal, a teenage girl living in rural Bengal, is testimony to the fact that the efforts of government and development organizations to retain girls in school have slowly started bearing results
By supplying value-added products made from fresh fruits and vegetables grown in their backyards, women in villages of Assam’s Nagaon district have become financially independent
Although women routinely suffer sexual harassment at work in villages, the stranglehold of patriarchy and the scepter of social shaming hold them back from voicing their outrage and seeking redress
Skill development trainings are not only helping rural communities fight poverty in Assam but are also empowering girls to aspire big, overcoming challenges posed by social stigma and deep-rooted gender disparity
Agariyas, the traditional saltpan workers in the Little Rann of Kutch, have switched from diesel to ecofriendly solar-powered pumps to lift brine that have boosted their earnings from saved costs
Constructed to ensure water security for cultivators, farm ponds have also helped rural women by reducing their daily treks to fetch water for domestic needs, and improving their personal health and hygiene
Although they are often the actual cultivators, the lack of land rights among women farmers in Odisha has resulted in chronic distress because they are unable to get government loans or compensation over crop loss
The dismal status of women’s property rights in India continues to be a nagging socio-development challenge despite a slew of progressive laws, which need political commitment and institutionalized support
At a time when sexual abuse of women in a Muzaffarpur shelter for the homeless has roiled the nation’s conscience, women farmers in the district shine a beacon for empowerment by growing and selling rice saplings
Ending open defecation in India’s villages cannot be the sole responsibility of the government. The heads of rural households also need to made responsible to ensure that women have access to safe sanitation
