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.
Governance
Women in Pakur use education to achieve development goals
With a strong belief that education would lead the community to achieve sustainable development goals, a night school in Ilami panchayat in Jharkhand educates and empowers women
Chosen to be a model village, yet to become one
With proactive villagers and panchayat leaders, Ansarwada in Maharashtra, chosen to be a model village under Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, has made satisfactory progress, but has to clear stumbling blocks to become a full-fledged model village
Women of Lalganj mobilize community to bring doctors to their doorsteps
Increased healthcare expenses and lack of access to hospitals prompt a women’s collective in eastern Uttar Pradesh to run a biweekly village clinic on family subscriptions
How can we kick-start Make in Rural India?
A significant portion of the government’s flagship Make in India initiative can be realized in the country’s rural areas through enterprises that have potential to benefit and provide employment to a large number of people
Mutlupur farmers transform neglected wetland into integrated farm
A group of farmers have converted a shunned wetland to practice fish farming, agroforestry and horticulture, providing employment and livelihood opportunities to impoverished villagers
Sagging spirit of Prime Minister’s model village scheme
Has the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, aimed at all-round development of three villages chosen by each Member of Parliament, made any significant impact on the ground?
Riverbank erosion no less a disaster than Assam floods
A widespread hazard like riverbank erosion, which continuously affects the poorest and the most vulnerable in the Brahmaputra River Basin in Assam, is not classified as a disaster and does not receive the swift emergency response as floods
India needs more fodder to prevent cattle starvation
The estimated increase in cattle population due to growth in dairy farming and ban on cow slaughter will need increased production of fodder and restoration of common pastures to prevent livestock starvation
It’s time to explore new possibilities in village enterprises
A new generation of rural businesses are being established to cater to the changing needs of the countryside that require very little capital infusion to start and expand. There is now a need to put in place a financial ecosystem for these enterprises to thrive