Governance
How development excludes India’s tribal people
Failing to understand the tribal world view and imposing the dominant development paradigm on adivasi communities is affecting their identity and well-being
Karnataka dairy farmers face heat of drought
Dairy farmers in Karnataka have been seriously impacted by the severe drought in most parts of the state as milk yields have fallen and fodder has become more expensive
Tribal women in Rajasthan assert citizen rights
Solidarity groups of tribal women in southern Rajasthan have started taking collective action to claim government entitlements such as food and rural employment
Income support is healthy tonic for smallholder farmers
Instead of farm loan waivers and minimum support price for crops that distort resource allocation and markets, basic income support to small and marginal farmers is a far better state mechanism
Heavy snow hurts Kashmir’s apple farmers
Extreme weather events such as untimely snowfall and heavy floods have harmed the apple crop in Kashmir; one way to reduce losses is to properly implement a crop insurance scheme
Participation key to empowering Juang tribes
Treating Juang tribes of Odisha as participants in the development process rather than as recipients of development largesse will help bringing them into the national mainstream
Can data-driven social enterprises boost farmer incomes?
A collaboration between technological and value chain enterprises working directly with farmers could help make the farm to fork value chain more organized and efficient, thus increasing returns to cultivators
Mayurbhanj villagers forced to ford river to reach schools, hospitals
Inadequate and inconvenient road connectivity due to poor planning compels many villagers in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha to risk a dangerous crossing of Burhabalang River everyday to reach the nearest town
The unending saga of farm distress in India
Farmers in India will continue to suffer unless there is a fundamental change in the pro-urban policy bias of propping up unsustainably low food prices
Temple carvers unite against scourge of silicosis
Three out of every 10 stone-carving workers in Rajasthan, who build temples, are facing death due to silicosis. They are now unionizing to demand freedom from disease and for dignity in god’s work
Community radio creates waves of change in Karnataka villages
Run primarily by women, the Sarathi Jhalak radio station has brought administrators, experts and villagers on the same platform, giving rural communities a voice
Unsafe behavior rampant in the countryside
Whether it is a national trait or simply a rural folly, there is a need to examine the cavalier neglect of basic safety rules that pervades life in villages across the country
Manipur villagers initiate successful economic development
Residents of Nongpok Sanjenbam, an underdeveloped Manipuri village, have come together to bring about economic and social transformation, enjoying the benefits in the process
Fluorosis extracts a toll in rural West Bengal
Groundwater contaminated with fluoride is affecting the health of people in villages, especially the elderly and children, even as awareness on fluorosis is low in rural areas and the government remains apathetic
Blending tribal people into India’s mainstream
Efforts to meet the aspirations of India’s tribal population would essentially mean their greater integration with the national mainstream, which would also reduce their drive for sub-cultural identity
Rural crime and policing in India’s villages
Even as crime in rural India increases, particularly against marginalized communities, minorities and women, more effective policing is required to strengthen deterrence and enforce rule of law
Sinnar farmers breathe life back into irrigated farming
By collectively reviving a colonial-era irrigation system, farmers in 19 villages of Sinnar in Maharashtra have transformed a water-starved area into productive and prosperous farmlands
Chhattisgarh makes headway on tribal rights
Chhattisgarh has taken encouraging steps to recognize and implement rights of forest communities but more effort is required needed at the village level to boost livelihood opportunities for indigenous people
GI tag boosts demand for Waigaon’s turmeric
Farmers of Waigaon in Maharashtra have received a GI tag for organically grown turmeric that is rich in curcumin, known for its multiple health benefits. The cultivators hope to cash in on the increase in demand
Gram swaraj in a globalizing world
Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of economically self-sufficient villages is at a distinct variance with the ideas and policies of liberalization, trade and globalization. Is it possible to strike a middle path?