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
Lockdown initiative links villagers to social welfare benefits
Mission Gaurav, an initiative to support rural households during the lockdown, makes villagers aware of various government welfare schemes and helps them access the entitlements.
Rural job guarantee program sequesters tons of carbon
MGNREGS, the anti-poverty scheme has ensured food security to millions, especially during the pandemic. The natural asset created through the scheme helps in carbon capture
Women volunteers allay vaccine fears in Jharkhand
Acting as a bridge between communities and public health services, setu didis addressed the concerns of villagers and convinced them to get vaccinated.
How can rural India prepare for a third wave
Experience from Jharkhand proves that synergic effort involving local administration, community collectives and civil society organizations can help villages face COVID-19 third wave.
Decentralization to localization: Collectives and local development
Community collectives working alongside local administration have reversed pandemic situation and ensured livelihood support. With concomitant procedural measures, the synergy can continue beyond the pandemic
Decentralization to localization: the emerging community–PRI–government compact
As communities rose to fill the lacunae in rural public systems, it is time the potential of the social capital was recognized, and grassroots institutions strengthened for rural transformation
When hazards overlap – flood preparedness during pandemic
Planning and preparedness for floods during the pandemic should be tailor-made for regions, as the impact would be different across flood typologies
Mandatory registering on Co-WIN hampers universal vaccination
Erratic mobile connectivity, digital illiteracy and lack of devices to access the portal have made inclusivity in vaccination impossible in remote villages of Odisha
Bihar floods and COVID-19 – Is there a connection?
As available data point to a probable connection between floods and a higher incidence of positive coronavirus cases, the overlap needs to be considered in planning for 2021 monsoon