Improving the health and nutrition of a community often comes down to one thing – communication. Village Square champions those with the most effective megaphones, but also showcases new or quirky trends in food and healthy living.
Health & Wellbeing
Maharashtra village switches off TV and mobiles to ‘detoxify’
Villagers of Mangaon in Kolhapur district are staying away from TV and phones for 90 minutes every evening so that children can study and elders can socialise without distractions.
Bengal village gasps for air – blames Bhutan
Indian residents near a Bhutanese industrial township are suffering from respiratory and heart diseases, and even cancer, because of air and water pollution from the factories.
New survey shows processed snack foods lure rural Indians
A new survey by the Development Intelligence Unit shows that obesity is a rapidly evolving problem, especially in rural India, and needs to be addressed through policies and awareness campaigns
Rural India falls prey to processed foods
The lure of processed fast food is not just an urban India problem - rural Indians are finding it increasingly hard to resist readily available junk food as a recent survey from the Development Intelligence Unit shows.
Healing mental health wounds
Access to mental health care is lacking in rural India - especially for the marginalized - which is why The Banyan mental health service organization enlists local community women to help them help those in need.
Odisha villagers fight fire ant invasion
Swamped by red fire ants that stung their way through an Odisha village - causing rashes and swellings, residents are forced to fight the “enemy” with chemical sprays.
Sparking ideas for India’s next 75 years
The recent Indian Rural Colloquy brought together India's sharpest minds - from doyens of the development world to industry leaders, government secretaries and activists - all at the front of India's march to progress.
No longer walking 2km to fetch dirty water
When government water schemes do not reach two tribal villages of Rajasthan, the women of Chittorgarh take matters into their own hands and install a treatment plant and a piped water supply system.
“8 billion people, 8 billion opportunities”
World’s population is expected to reach 8 billion in 2022. What does it mean for the world and India in particular? For World Population Day observed on July 11, Village Square spoke to Deepesh Gupta, the State Head of Office of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Rajasthan, to better understand various issues concerning equitable growth and family planning in India.