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
Mandla makeover – How MP’s cyber crime hub became a literacy model
When 4,500 volunteers set out to transform Mandla in 2020, it was notorious for its low literacy rates and cyber fraud. It then became the first district in Madhya Pradesh to achieve 100 percent functional literacy.
Simple tech to solve water distribution woes
An innovative shaft-based technology promises to transform water distribution, ensuring every household gets its fair share regardless of supply timing.
A village where farms and forests belong to everyone
The lands at Mendha Lekha village in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district are collectively owned, with the profits shared among all. This settlement of around 500 Gond tribe members tells a powerful tale of cooperation and shared prosperity.
Mixed signals for rural sector in latest Union Budget
India's 2024-25 Budget presents a mixed bag for rural development. With increased overall funding but cuts in crucial programmes like MGNREGS, the coming year will reveal if these allocations can effectively address the challenges faced by the rural economy.
‘Technology has become indispensable for rural development’
In an interview with Swapnil Agarwal, CEO and co-founder of Dhwani Rural Information Systems, we discuss the transformative impact of technology, AI and dashboards on the development sector.
‘We need to communicate what safe water means’
Several regions across India face acute shortage of safe drinking water. We speak to Amar Prakash, state programme director for WaterAid in Madhya Pradesh, about their interventions, challenges and success stories.
‘More awareness is needed about safe internet use’
“We need to involve parents in conversations about internet safety,” Unmesh Joshi, co-founder and COO of Responsible Netism, tells Village Square.
What this interim budget holds for rural India
While the Rural Development Ministry got increased allocation, with MGNREGS getting a boost, not all schemes saw hikes in the interim budget 2024-25 presented by the Union government on Feb 1.
On Kolab reservoir’s perilous pathway, villagers await bridge
Despite being a 15-minute drive from Koraput town in Odisha, 138 villages remain isolated due to the absence of a road bridge over the Kolab reservoir. They currently use a two-foot-wide pathway attached to an old railway bridge.