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Nutrition Gardens And Seed Banks: Women Farmers Adapt To Climate Change

Innovative measures by women farmers across India are helping several poor families adapt better to climate change and keep hunger at bay. As Sursati from village Janakpur, district Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, explains, “Earlier, we could not produce enough food for a year because our village would get water-logged by the flood waters. Now, using [...]

March 16, 2012 / 1 Comment / Read More

Voice of Talbehat: How a town council connected with its people

November 4, 2011 No Comment

Bundelkhand region is known for its droughts, poverty and demand for a separate statehood. Governance and political structures are weak and not delivering at the grass-root level. Elected and selected representatives seem to make little effort to connect with people. However, an initiative called “Voice of Talbehat” in a local town council in one of [...]

Reducing plastic pollution in Pilibhit Forest Division

November 3, 2011 No Comment

WWF-India works with Uttar Pradesh state Forest Department to provide alternatives to plastic. Forests and religious beliefs in India The people of India associate forests with more than the usual bounties – pure air, clean water and lush greenery, that nature provides man with. Across this huge country, there is a deep religious sentiment and [...]

Varanasi: Where liberation starts with a well-made paan

September 6, 2011 5 Comments

So where are my countrymen? I’m in foggy Delhi, finally boarding a flight to Varanasi/Benares/Kashi. And my co-passengers seem to originate entirely from Coloradoor Japan. A polite, professorial type is thoughtfully touching a dog-eared translation of the Upanishads. A pretty woman from Liverpoolcarefully adjusts her spotless white kurta as she settles down next to me. [...]

How Shachi Made Lucknow’s Charbagh Station Child Labour-Free

August 31, 2011 No Comment

Ten years ago, a young woman happened to be at the Charbagh railway station in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh’s state capital, when a young boy of around 10 came up to her. Dressed in tatters, his face streaked with mud, he tried to sell her a bottle of water. “I felt pained to see this helpless [...]

SMV Wheels: A Social Enterprise Empowering Rickshaw Pullers

May 28, 2011 1 Comment

Manual Rickshaws are a significant means of conveyance in this country. According to a recent estimate, there are 10 million rickshaw pullers & 20 million push-cart vendors in India. Most of them are victims of exorbitant daily rentals and the mafia that doesn’t allow them to own the rickshaws. Many of them live on pavements [...]

Renu’s Zoo Story: Solar Power Keeps Animals Comfy

February 25, 2011 6 Comments

Lucknow (Women’s Feature Service) Lucknow’s Prince of Wales Zoological Garden has earned the unique distinction of becoming the first zoo in the country to use solar energy. Presently, all the zoo offices, the streetlights and the kitchen run on solar power. Another six months and the entire establishment will switch to this eco-friendly fuel – [...]

Village Women As Radio Jockeys

January 21, 2011 5 Comments

Lalitpur, Uttar Pradesh (Women’s Feature Service) The moment Rachna, 19, steps behind the microphone she is a changed person. A radio jockey, she loves to communicate with her listeners on the community radio station in Lalitpur, a district in the impoverished, drought-affected Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh (UP), India’s largest state. Now a role model [...]

Gaon Ki Awaaz: News in your Hands

November 11, 2010 No Comment

The number of mobile phones in urban areas has reached near saturation. The rural counterparts though lag reasonably behind. However, the fact that around 30% of the wireless subscriber base of most operators reside in rural areas points to a welcoming trend. If penetration of rural telephony can further be improved, considerable socio-economic benefits will [...]