The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Climate in Asia 2024 report warns that the region is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, driving more extreme weather and posing serious threats to lives, ecosystems, and economies. In 2024, Asia experienced its warmest or second warmest year on …
The Vaijnath Leather Complex (VlC) established in 1962 in Bardoli, Gujarat, was hailed as a model of governmeritj intervention to revive the village leather industry. "Its founding fathers had a vision of producing gold from garbage by integrated development of the rural leather industry," say Usufbhai Patel, executive manager of …
Two Delhi-based NGOs, Development Alternatives (DA) and the Centre for Technology Development (CTD), provide examples of fairly successful, contrasting modes of disseminating technology to artisans. DA believes that technology interventions succeed only if they are commercialised. "If a technology does not profit everyone, it is useless," says Ashok Khosla, president. …
Why should we be ashamed of what we are doing?" demands Sudama Devi. We are earning a living." In a state where women are boUght and sold like cattle, the case of this wizened woman from ChoUhka village in Bihar's Rohtas district stands out. Sudama and her companion Sushela, who …
Tracing their origins to Lord Vishwakarma, the mythological source of all creative intellect, India's artisans evolved into a distinct social group with the emergence of settled agriculture and habitation. Excavations reveal that they were among the most productive mem- bers of the prolific Indus Valley culture. After the collapse of …
BHOLA Ram Kumawat still makes the best wooden toys inUdaipur; but he may well be the craft"s last sentinel.Kumawatbelongs to a family of renowned toymakersbut his son drawshandcarts for a living and his wife is a domestic help. Says the70old manThere are no forests left now - no khirni (Wrightia …
FOR an urban Indian centre of the mid '90s, the chief interest of the film The Village Republic lies in the excitement at the variety of experiments by villagers to control their resources. The film focuses on collective rural initiatives to stem biomass degradation in places like the Siwalik, Deccan …
THE Dilip Singh Bhuria Parliamentary Committee, set up to recommend special provisions for the introduction of Panchayati Raj in tribal areas (under the 73rd Constitutional Amendment), has just submitted its report. It is natural for a lay person to question why a separate committee was needed to make special provisions …
The first Dutch agriculture minister of urban origin, Jozias van Aartsen, has upset farmers in the country, charmed free-market enthusiasts, and at the same time added fillip to the green movement. In his recent policy paper, he envisions a rural development scheme with less regulation and financial- support. He suggests …
The micro-vision of the lecturers of the Community Polytechnique Cell, Malcla, with the village as the focal centre, is supplemented with their district level concerns. They are especially worried about the mango industry, Malcla's pride and economic backbone. A K Das and Chaki explained, "We are trying to experiment with …
IT is just an earthen pot inside another. But it can preserve raw vegetables for up to 72,bours in the sweltering heat of MaIda's villages. Cooked vegetable survives the heat for 12 hours. It. costs just Rs 30, this "rural refrigerator" as some call it, and the village potter can …
THE watershed development programme in the country is all set to get a major thrust with the decision of the ministry of rural areas and employment to set aside Rs 3,000 crore - almost half of the total funds meant fot the Jawahar Rozgar Yojana and the Employment Assurance Scheme …
A TRAGEDY of Indian planners as also of those from some other developing countries is that they have considered agricultural development synonymous with rural development. Development is a must for alleviation of rural poverty, but ironically, conventional development pro- grammes have exacerbated the pressures on the rural poor and unwittingly …
Rural organisations need good marketing tips to promote their productions in a market-oriented era. Organising Rural Business: Policy, Planning and Management provides a management approach to the marketing of rural products. an activity which has so far been restricted to the unorganised sector.
The most promising solution to the deepening power crisis in developing countries may be found in renewable energy systems, particularly from biomass resources (primarily wood and biomass residues from forestry, forest products industries, agriculture and agro-industries). However, these opportunities are only realisable in the context of sustainable resource production and …
The hatchery must go. The decision was unanimous and it bound together the 100 odd fisherfolk -- men and women -- with a common purpose. They had gathered under the red tiled roof of the New Baxipalli Mahila Sangho in Gopalpur-On-Sea, about 100 km from Orissa's capital, Bhuvaneshwar. The mid-March …
FOR the residents of Nari, a village of 700 households in the Una district of Himachal Pradesh, underdevelopment and poverty is losing its harsh edge, thanks to the introduction of a few simple and cheap devices like water seal toilets and biogas plants. The devices are being promoted by the …
At long last, someone has spoken out for rural women. The Standing Committee on Urban and Rural Development wants the government to change existing norms and provide safe drinking water in rural areas within 0.5 km of villages. With an average need of 40 liters per family, women now have …
The Union rural development ministry has stopped release of further funds to 8 states that have failed to hold elections to the panchayat raj institutions as required under the Panchayat Raj Act, imperilling the future of scores of rural development projects. The ministry has served notices to the governments of …
FILMS and videos have been used by environmentalists as promotional material for spreading their message. In addition to this, flash cards and posters have always formed an integeral part of the rural development programmes organised by governmental and the non-governmental organisations, which base their work on the assumption that if …
An ambitious programme of mapping the land resources of every village panchayat in Kerala has run into trouble. The project was conceived in 1988 by the Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad and the Centre for Earth Sciences (ces), but lack of proper funding has since tied in up in knots. While …
