Governance

What is good governance? How well can a person or a community access help or push for a needed change? How often are they heard? Village Square shines a light on the people and schemes making the biggest impact or providing the most unique solutions.

her life

Landless Musahars continue their wait for development

Marginalized and landless, Musahars have become free from bonded labor, yet continue to suffer social discrimination and financial hardships, hoping for government schemes to deliver

her life

Deepsea fishermen need early warning after Cyclone Ockhi

Hundreds of lives could have been saved from the ravages of Cyclone Ockhi if deepsea fishermen were able to carry better communications gear onboard and if there was a better system of early storm warning

her life

New drought manual may aggravate farm distress

Strict parameters set by the central government has made it tougher for the states to declare a drought and seek relief funds from New Delhi

her life

Madhya Pradesh farmers unite to fight lantana infestation

Villages in eastern Madhya Pradesh have come together to rid their land of lantana, an invasive species that have taken over 4% of the India’s land area, and have reclaimed their farms by cultivating millets and oilseeds

her life

Does rural India have a level field for opportunities and aspirations?

Unless children growing up in India’s villages have access to equality of opportunity in its broadest sense, it is unlikely that they will ever be able to soar like a kite but will be condemned to live the life of a grasshopper

her life

Community rebuilds life after Cyclone Phailin wrecked their fishing hamlet

Ravaged by Cyclone Phailin, people of a fishing village buried their differences and emerged with a strong sense of unity to rebuild their lives at a relocation site

her life

Musahars in Bihar struggle to educate their children

Derided as eater of rats, a large number of Mushahars in Bihar villages see education of their children as the only way out of the oppression they face daily but the going is still tough

her life

Digital inclusion still far from rural India

Even as a digital revolution sweeps across India, people in the more impoverished and remote parts of the country have to struggle to bridge the digital divide and a level playing field is still a distant dream

her life

Cooking imposes heavy burden on rural women

The simple act of cooking takes on a difficult dimension due to lack of easy access to fuel and water, forcing women in rural India to walk long distances to get them, increasing drudgery and leading to health hazards that call for immediate action