Governance
Currency tsunami hits Kerala fisher village
The poor women of Anju Thengue island village in Kerala have been caught unprepared by the ban on banknotes that has seen prices crash and a near total collapse of the fish market
Small vegetable farmers in Maharashtra suffer blow from demonetization
The people in rural Pune are past the initial shocks of demonetization and are now coming to grips with it, but there are signs of distress among growers and sellers of fruits and vegetables
Rural Tamil Nadu shows resilience as currency crisis disrupts life
For villagers in Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur, particularly the poor, the trashing of high-value banknotes is another hardship among many that they have to face
Farmers, daily wage laborers in Odisha badly hurt by demonetization
Farmers and those in rural areas who make a living as daily wage laborers in Odisha have been left stranded by the demonetization drive by the Indian government that has led to a huge scarcity of lower denomination notes
Demonetization and the rural poor in five dimensions
The junking of high value currency notes has led to an unprecedented situation where the poor are more at risk from manipulation by the unscrupulous than from any crippling financial loss in the short or medium terms, barring exceptions
Political turmoil leaves Kashmir’s education sector in tatters
Four months of closed schools in the middle of an academic year has left an entire generation of Kashmiri students in the lurch although there are some scattered efforts at makeshift community schools
Tackling malnutrition in India needs thinking out of the box
If India has to improve its rank on the global Hunger Index, there has to be an emphasis on alternative and participatory approaches of delivering nutrients to underserved populations
Women in Guphu show power of collective action
Collective action has enabled many women in Khunti in Jharkhand to rise out of poverty, providing them with new opportunities and ensuring greater choice in their lives
Community initiative recharges water table in Kumbharwalan village
Collective action through a pani panchayat (water council) has enabled a remote village in Pune district of Maharashtra to provide for adequate irrigation in this rain shadow area prone to droughts
Another autumn of uncertainty for Kashmir’s saffron farmers
A most prized harvest, the falling production of saffron in the villages of Pulwama is now a serious concern for the many farmers who have been traditionally cultivating the rare flower
Social forestry provides useful lessons in participatory democracy
The road to participatory democracy cannot be paved with good intentions alone but needs resources, sustained work and self-critical reflection by villages and voluntary organizations alike
Can this crisis in the heart of India be allowed to continue?
The economic exploitation and developmental neglect of the core tribal areas of India’s eastern plateau and hills across Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand have to be tackled through practical solutions unhindered by ideological blinkers
Camel herders of Kachchh fall into decline as commons shrink
The unt maladharis (camel pastoralists) of Kutchch have seen their herds dwindle as pastures are appropriated and the unique swimming camel struggles to find mangroves to graze upon
Solapur’s example holds key to chronically water-stressed Marathwada
The patchy soil and water conservation efforts of the Maharashtra government seem to have learnt nothing from the exemplary measures undertaken in Solapur district
Kuthambakkam charts a course to prosperity through community action
Kuthambakkam village in Tamil Nadu has overcome caste hostility and poverty to emerge as a national model of participatory governance that has boosted the village economy
There’s a mismatch between aspirations and reality in rural India
Opportunities to a better life have not kept pace with the rising aspirations of the rural youth that are a natural corollary of high economic growth, which raise spectres of frustration and social friction in our society
Learning from Mahatma Gandhi’s insights on economic democracy
Mahatma Gandhi’s ideas on gram swaraj and his thoughts on economic democracy through creative localisation could well be the new launch pad to create a more vibrant model of sustainable development of rural society and economy