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
Where are the women in water governance?
Women contribute equally to livelihood activities involving water. Yet they are absent in the decision-making processes, since only domestic water management is seen as their responsibility
Self-help groups effect social change in villages
Freeing themselves from the restraints of veils, rural women have become empowered to make financial contributions to the household and raise their voice for village needs
Community prevents pollution, keeps lake clean
By taking all possible preventive measures, community ensures Tsogmo Lake, a popular tourist destination in Sikkim with rich biodiversity, remains tidy and pollution free
Administrators hope to appease relocated tribes of Simlipal
With International Forest Day, observed on 21 March, and news of forest fires in Simlipal, the biosphere's administrators hope to change mindset of relocated forest dwellers with education and employment
Community involvement improves waste management
With awareness lacking in rural areas, waste management is an issue, especially in tourist attractions. A multi-stakeholder model, with the community at the helm shows the way
Visitor toll helps tribes develop their villages
District administration permits tribes to collect toll from tourists visiting Kataki waterfall. With the revenue, the toll committee upgrades the village and waterfalls, besides helping the needy
Empowered rural women demonstrate leadership skills
Providing an enabling environment transforms and empowers rural women. Building on their abilities, the women realize their potential to lead and become change makers
How rural India showed resilience, synergy during lockdown
Republic Day is an ideal occasion to celebrate rural India’s positive progress. VillageSquare recollects how communities used the lockdown productively, despite difficulties and loss of livelihoods.
Cash crop cotton loses lustre for Ganjam farmers
Lack of transportation and marketing facilities and exploitation by private money lenders have forced cotton growers to cultivate other crops despite cotton’s potential for good returns