Secure from drought: How MGNREGA changed lives in Bandlapalli

The village from where the scheme was launched in India, has remained untouched by drought in a water-scarce region

Tasar rearing may bail out 600 mining-affected families in Keonjhar

The Rs 23.75-crore project in the state’s Keonjhar district will be implemented using DMF and MGNREGS funds

Developing issues

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At which road head?

Not the path of economic growth, but the trail leading back to the village is the answer

Critiquing globalisation

In Churning the Earth, The Making of Global India, environmentalist Ashish Kothari and economist Aseem Shrivastava put India's much-hyped growth …

A quick fix: How ponds built under MGNREGA turned lives around

The realisation that ponds can rapidly recharge groundwater has increased demand for MGNREGA

COVID-19: UP stares at mammoth challenge as migrants return home

More than 1.2 million migrants returned to Uttar Pradesh since the nationwide lockdown was imposed on March 25, according to state official

Drought forever

Severe drought strikes India every eight to nine years and is a major reason for perpetuating poverty

The poorest shun MGNREGA

Participation of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes in the scheme has halved in five years

Jobs Jobs Jobs

The government is obsessed with economic growth. Employment is bound to follow, it claims. That's a delusion. The swelling numbers of unemployed …

MGNREGA protest crosses 40 days, activists seek legal aid for workers

Multiple violations of the MGNREGA make it a textbook case of approaching the judiciary, Prashant Bhushan said

Eucalyptus, acacia and teak, not Sal: Why CAG is critical of Odisha’s afforestation efforts

There was an ‘acute shortfall’ in achieving plantation targets in Odisha due to lack of coordination, working plan, improper …

Mainstreaming climate resilience through MGNREGS: Learning from Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvannamalai

The district set a record for creating 1,121 farm ponds in 30 days in September 2021, in line with the recently launched state climate mission

COVID-19: How heat stress affected livelihood, health of Maharashtra’s rural communities

The COVID-19 situation may improve with increased vaccinations, but temperatures will continue to rise for the foreseeable future, putting …

How historical methods helped landless farmers earn a living

Farmers revive traditional retention ponds that drain water during floods and retain moisture in droughts

Water-stressed in India: Curious case of 2 neighbouring Telangana districts

The contrast in the districts’ JSA rankings was due to proper implementation of schemes

Irrigation sector gets boost in Union Budget

Apart from generous budgetary allocation, the government will utilise MGNREGS to increase the water harvesting potential of drought-affected …

Political economy of welfare

The BJP-led government's change of heart for big-ticket rural programmes says a lot about its dwindling political fortune

Deforestation rampant in Malawi as residents chop forests to produce charcoal for fuel

Charcoal trade has emerged as a viable means of livelihood for the power-starved villagers

Rivulet resurrected in 45 days

Thousands of people working under NREGS bring a 38 km stream back from the dead in Uttar Pradesh

Giant snail invasion

People in Kerala village spend nights battling large snails that devour plants and nibble at walls  

Twice Unlucky

In 1962, it was the Indo-Chinese war. Now it is the creation of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve. Once again, the Bhotiyas, who inhabit the …

Barring the muck

The Tihar jail exemplifies how efficient waste management not only makes our surroundings clean, but also endows us with economic benefits. What …

Protocol to protect RTI activists in the works

If a single panchayat-level activist can expose corruption worth Rs 25 lakh, then each needs protection for effective implementation of …

A million opportunities lost

The ruling alliance’s flagship rural employment programme took unprecedented strides in creating water conservation structures across the …