Cast away
After being at the receiving end of both militants and the state government, Kashmir's village heads are now threatening to boycott next year's …
Boss, the real beehive!
Rahul Gandhi’s idea of governance needs fresh focus. How about more autonomy to nearly 240,000 panchayats?
Poplars spark farmers' fury against Wimco
Area farmers in Uttar Pradesh contend match manufacturer Wimco, which had persuaded them to raise poplar trees for its factory, has reneged on …
Employment schemes fail to ease rural poverty
The government's employment generation schemes, laudable though they may be, have yet to achieve their goals. Not involving intended …
Women panchayat presidents are no rubber-stamp leaders
Of the 12,619 Gram Panchayats in Tamil Nadu, one-third or nearly 4,200 panchayats are headed by women -- following the 73rd amendment to the …
Development projects should look beyond low-hanging fruits to bring about actual change
Bihar needs to strengthen and enhance capacities of Gram Panchayats to realise the gains of a decentralised planning
MGNREGS: ‘Monument of failure’ or ‘saviour’?
On the 10th anniversary of the rural job guarantee scheme, Down To Earth evaluates its successes and drawbacks
Why the budget must focus on rural India
India is staring at a rural economic crisis. If the budget does not spend on rural India, the nation’s growth will be badly impacted
A tale of two villages beguiled by JRY
The panchayats of Sonrai in Uttar Pradesh and Palana in Rajasthan share a Jawahar Rozgar Yojana experience. Both ignored the water needs of the …
A Gandhian economist ahead of his time
Kumarappa was a close associate of Gandhiji and a firm believer in the theory the village must be made the focus of economic planning. Aware of …
Poverty alleviation: investment or mere sop?
After successive reductions, can increased allocations for rural development, agriculture, education and health be effective?
Homegrown experts offered for "sale" abroad
Chakriya Vikas Pranali, a rural organisation, has a unique approach to ecological regeneration based on informed agricultural practices. This …
Poverty line delinked from food and other entitlements given to the poor
Government to wait for results of socio-economic caste census to decide parameters on who should be covered under social welfare programmes
No school can be without a playground: Supreme Court
SC gives a year’s time to encroachers to vacate Gram Panchayat land meant for school
How socio-economic conditions shape renewable energy uptake in Zimbabwe
Development in the energy sector should be guided by the improvements it makes to the livelihoods of intended beneficiaries.
A solar water purifier, with a difference
Scientists at the Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute at Phaltan in Maharashtra developed a solar water purifier, that does not require …
Migration should be out of choice, not a desperate last resort: FAO head
Large-scale cross-border movements in recent years have sparked tensions in some countries, placing migration high on the diplomatic agenda
Jharkhand’s own Amul model
A model where small producers engage in a large-scale economic activity is important in the development laboratory of India
How cow became the mother of demigods
The current political discourse on cow protection disregards the history of beef eating in India
Modi’s burden of civilising rural India
Our prime minister’s recognition of ‘uncivilised’ state of rural India means he should be spending more on ‘civilising&…
"Self-dependence is the key"
Anna Hazare , the force behind Maharashtra's model village of Ralegan Siddhi and the Adarsh Gaon Yojana (Ideal Village Programme), is also in the …
Messiahs to rural folk
A few individuals are trying to bring about changes at the grassroots level through dedicated and sustained work
Book One Valley and A Thousand Dams, Nationalism and Development
Book>> Daniel Klingensmith, 'One Valley and a Thousand' Dams, Nationalism and Development Oxford University Press New Delhi 2007
Socio-economic caste census: only 4 states, UTs complete survey
Union rural development minister, Jairam Ramesh, asks all states to sort out inconsistencies in preliminary data
India’s declining rural income pulls downs global economic growth: IMF
International Monetary Fund says downgrade of global economy due to India’s dipping growth rates