How tribal leadership in Chhattisgarh is helping people access rights

The civil society’s intervention in the tribal regions began in early 1980s on two issues-sustainable livelihood, particularly in forest …

Water turns the tide

A barren district of Rajasthan is seeing development, thanks to rains last year and flood in 2006

Foodgrains risk rot

No place to store seven million tonnes of procured foodgrains

Sweet beris of Thar

Residents dig shallow wells to tap sweet water reserves

Faulty policy causes Maharashtra's farmlands to go dry

Sure cure: how to tackle India's undernutrition crisis in 10 steps

The finance ministry and the planning department can play an overarching role by ensuring health programmes get sufficient resources

Civil society seconds rural development ministry’s demand for MGNREGA funds

The rural development ministry had recently demanded an additional allocation of Rs 5,000 crore to maintain the momentum of MGNREGA

The poverty quibble

Government claims a huge drop in poverty numbers but critical indicators—health, malnutrition and wages—continue to be grim. So how …

The desperation of farmers

Union Budget 2021-22: Time to step up public investment in nutrition

Nutrition interventions, with an already faltering coverage, hit a blockade due to COVID-19 disruptions; the Union Budget is a critical …

Usage of toilets in India is over 95 per cent, reveals new NSSO survey

This finding is, however, from a two-month rapid survey, considered too short by experts

Channels of change

Two villages in Uttar Pradesh have reversed the trend of migration by digging six kilometres of channels to bring water to drought-hit farms

West Bengal MGNREGS workers protest over stopping funds to scheme, non-payment of arrears

Protestors gather at chief labour commissioner office, ask for immediate action

MGNREGA: Demand for work up 74% in June

40 million rural households turn to job scheme — the highest since 2013-14

Sunita's Bytes on Budget

Banks expand arms, but not through branches

Smart cards, biometric ATMs, mobile phones the new tools

COVID-19 second wave: Rural demand may be hit despite normal monsoon

Out-of-pocket expenses on health in rural areas may push millions into poverty, warn experts

Drought hit

Jharkhand’s water table falls three metres in one year

Will rural flagship schemes change under Modi?

Officials admit that MGNREGS and rural road development programmes suffered shortcomings in UPA regime

Labour exit

Labour shortage in agriculture forces Indian farmers to innovate to stay afloat

Uttar Pradesh to revive dry rivulets under MGNREGS

Revival of small river in Fatehpur district shows the way

Relocation by half measure

Experiments in budgeting water

State is trying to get farmers to budget water

Central funds freeze: MGNREGA workers in West Bengal trapped in vicious cycle of illness and poverty

Workers struggling to make ends meet, have had to put new and existing health issues aside    

Budget 2020-21: Will MGNREGA become an overarching rural development scheme

The upcoming budget will see many schemes being brought under the rural employment prtogramme; a direct cash transfer may be declared to top this up