Governance
Peri-urban villages shrivel in expanding rings of dryness
The rapidly expanding cities in western and peninsular India are soaking up water from the surrounding countryside for their own needs, leaving peri-urban villages drier in an already water-scarce region
Is unsafe behavior linked to social order?
Awareness about safety measures appears to be divided along caste lines in rural Rajasthan. Educating children and frequent awareness programs would ensure villagers’ safety in everyday life
How to revitalize agriculture in India
The government needs to aggressively promote micro-irrigation and small-scale farm mechanization to improve agricultural productivity. It should also connect farmers with markets using latest technological tools
Make lives better for rural people
The new government should act swiftly to take a few measures that would improve the quality of life in rural India significantly without being a big drain on the exchequer
Biodiversity takes center stage in Odisha’s silent valley
Forest communities of Mandasaru hills are taking steps to conserve biodiversity in Odisha’s silent valley, even as the world celebrates International Day for Biological Diversity on 22 May
When will rural men own up responsibility?
Rather than holding the state solely accountable for bettering lives of the rural poor, we need to also focus on making men, and not just women, take responsible action for the sake of their families
Dairy farming in tribal regions holds enormous promise
With a little help from the government and specialized agencies, the promotion of dairy farming among the tribal people of central and eastern India has potential to lift millions out of poverty
Drought-hit farmers grow crops with treated wastewater
After Karnataka government pumped Bengaluru city’s treated wastewater into Kolar’s tanks last year, farmers made use of the raised groundwater table to grow crops amidst concerns of contamination
How poor breadwinners hit digital hurdle
Online procedures to avail of government welfare entitlements are big hurdles to unlettered villagers that sometimes lead to delays and loss, often adding to the distress of the rural poor
Sariska’s herders fear livelihood loss with eviction
Nomadic pastoralists being evicted from Sariska Tiger Reserve to conserve tigers introduced from Ranthambore fear loss of livelihoods, and life in relocation settlements with poor amenities
Oriya bonded labor languish after being rescued
Migrant workers from western Odisha who are rescued from bondage at destination sites continue to languish in poverty for want of rural employment and rehabilitation support
Ujjwala and waterwheels: reducing women’s drudgery
Regular supply of cooking gas and easier ways to bring drinking water home would significantly reduce the daily drudgery of women in rural areas
Vagad farmers stage progress marches
Tribal farmers of the Vagad region have been marching through villages to find local solutions to farming and community problems through participation and discussion
Social audit empowers Odisha’s rural poor
People left out of the government’s welfare programs have been included through a social audit in Odisha’s underdeveloped rural areas, boosting nutrition security among impoverished families
Villagers face eviction near Panna forest reserve
The residents of Rampura, a small village in the buffer zone of the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, have been asked to move. But, they say, with no allocation of alternative land, they have nowhere to go
Is farmer income support a sustainable solution?
Income support to smallholder farmers is similar to palliative measures like minimum support prices or loan waivers that do not address the problem of an unsustainable population living on a fixed resource base
Rural India still insensitive to persons with disabilities
In a society steeped in referring people with special needs by their disability, there is a need for concerted efforts to recognize their rights and create inclusivity
Village women up in arms against alcoholism
Women in rural Karnataka have banded together to demand a prohibition on liquor because they are the receiving end of alcoholism of men that leads invariably to domestic violence and financial hardship
The travails of India’s forest dwellers
Tribal people who live in and around forests are being continuously pushed beyond the edge of their meager livelihoods and the land where they live, despite laws that are supposed to protect their rights
Is resettling millions of forest dwellers feasible?
A recent Supreme Court order that will likely lead to the largest ever eviction of forest dwellers in India needs to be seen as a wake-up call for state governments to quickly remedy the situation