Village Square

Women of self-help groups in the Gir region of Gujarat are going beyond microfinance to fight social taboos about widows to helping them lead a better life. Palak Gosai takes a closer look.

Faced with severe water shortage due to reduced snowfall and receding glaciers, a Ladakh village has built an artificial glacier successfully through community efforts that now fulfills all its water needs. Samten Choephel takes a closer look.

Recognising the significance of traditional crop varieties that can withstand climate-related vagaries and offer nutritional security, tribal farmers have started to conserve and propagate local cultivars. Hiren Kumar Bose takes a closer look.

Even as Madhya Pradesh reels under severe drought, residents of a tribal village who were denied access to water have collectively restored farm ponds to harvest the meager rainfall to fulfill their water needs. Nachiket Sule takes a closer look.

From an impoverished homemaker to a successful farmer and trusted counselor for many women in the area, the story of Sangita Mhatre of Mande is an inspiring tale of how women in rural India can take charge of their destiny given the slightest of opportunities. Shreeya Bhagwat takes a closer look.

Women self-help groups in the villages of Jehanabad have become the harbingers of social change by convincing people about the usefulness of building toilets at homes and ending open defecation. Mohd Imran Khan takes a closer look.

A social marketing campaign urging parents of brides to demand toilets at marriage negotiations has led to a dramatic increase of 21% in private sanitation coverage in Haryana, particularly in rural areas. Sharada Balasubramanian takes a closer look.

Restoration and effective management of village commons to the financial benefit of the community in Barkheda village of Madhya Pradesh has prompted 90 neighboring villages to adopt self-governance. Ishan Agrawal takes a closer look.

An initiative that produces books in tribal dialects in an underdeveloped area of Madhya Pradesh is helping tribal children to not only become better learners in school but is also reconnecting them with their indigenous culture and traditions. Alaknanda Sanap takes a closer look.

Once the infamous political battlefield centered on the construction of a car factory, Singur in West Bengal has become a beacon of hope for local farmers, who sell their produce wholesale at fair prices at a state government promoted marketplace. Dhruba Dasgupta takes a closer look.