Bihar

From starting a Rural Sanitary Mart for villagers for buying toilet construction material on credit, to setting up vigilante committees for catching people defecating in the open, Rampur Panchayat left no stone unturned to become 100% open defecation free in just 4 months. All thanks to the pro-active 60-year-old mukhiya of the village, Nirmala Devi, and her incredible use of the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach.

Seven polling booths in Gaya will be headed by all-women teams during assembly elections this time. From the booth in charge, to the web cam-operator, every official will be a woman.

The one and only Hulk star, Mark Ruffalo, says he is now "100% Bihar." What he means is that he is right behind the state's efforts to become fully solar powered. And not just him, prominent personalities like Manoj Bajpai, Vinay Pathak and Shekhar Suman are endorsing Bihar's efforts too.

These men from Delhi and Bihar are mobilizing many in their communities to talk about the sensitive topic of family planning and reproductive health openly. They have been taking actions in many commendable ways. Here is how.

Anita Kumar of Nalanda district has received the esteemed 'Jagjivan Ram Innovative Farmer's Award' this year, for her outstanding work in mushroom farming. She has not only changed her life, but has also helped several other women in becoming financially independent.

Girls in rural Bihar are breaking all stereotypes as they are successfully managing to run media publications from their villages. Know all about the amazing rural reporters of India.

She was just 12 when she got married. After this, she not only went on to change her life but also led to the development of her entire village. From fighting with Naxalites to planting trees and doing rain water harvesting, Jaya Devi is truly the "Green Lady" of Bihar.

In a place like rural Bihar where even talking about topics such as family planning is a taboo, these adolescent Muslim girls are going door-to-door and spreading awareness about it in their village. The youngest member of the team is just 14 and knows it all!

When his wife fell ill and there were no roads to take her to the doctor on time, Dashrath Manjhi took a decision: to move a mountain. Even after his wife died, he continued with his mammoth task for 22 years till he made a road connecting his people to doctors on the other side of the mountain. Read to know what true heroes are made of!

Some stories, some people, some initiatives, make the passersby pause and take note. These are stories of courage, of passion, of change and of unparalleled determination. Kumar Ankit, an alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur, is an epitome of all that a social entrepreneur needs to be. He is all of 25, but the milestones which he has achieved are not just remarkable but awe-inspiring too. Read on