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
Tamil Nadu villagers take it upon themselves to build road
With no redressal of their decades-long request, Kottur Malai villagers pool money and labour to lay a six-kilometre mud road to their village.
Jharkhand’s McCluskieganj struggles to stay alive
McCluskieganj, a charming hill town near Ranchi, faces an uncertain fate. It grapples with decaying colonial structures, a departed Anglo-Indian community, and environmental threats posed by illegal brick kilns.
Jharkhand villagers waiting to see ‘light’
Residents of three hamlets in Jharkhand continue to live in darkness as electricity supply is yet to reach them. Lack of hospitals and schools in the vicinity adds to their woes.
Former bonded labourers champion justice in Punjab
In the heartland of Punjab, people who once endured the shackles of debt and bondage now dedicate their lives to freeing others.
Poor facilities plague Rajasthan’s anganwadis
With dilapidated buildings that often do not have basic facilities such as water and electricity, the anganwadis in Rajasthan are not able to fully ensure the development of children.
Mokhada tribal villagers don’t fear the rains anymore
In the quaint tribal taluka of Mokhada nestled in the Sahyadri hills, the construction of a concrete bridge and a tar road marks the beginning of a new chapter.
Is rural India on the brink of a renaissance?
Will Indian villages be part of the country's galloping growth? A leading development conference holds over 100 conversations to find out.
‘Women’s quota in panchayat polls not mere rubber stamp’
Dolly, a two-time sarpanch of Shadipur village in Gaya, Bihar, talks about the practice of sarpanch pati in India’s panchayati raj institutions. Dolly left her comfortable corporate job in 2018 to pursue a career in grassroots politics.
‘Feminist sensitisation is needed for everyone’
What is it like to empower marginalised women to access justice in rural India? We speak to Anshumala of Association for Advocacy and Legal Initiatives Trust (AALI), an organisation working on protection and advancement of women’s rights since 1998.