February 18th, Salgadih Village, Khunti District, Jharkhand The National Old Age Pension Scheme provides financial security to over 19.2 million people over the age of 60 in India. For many, the small yet vital sum comes after jumping through many loopholes in the system. Community Correspondent Amita Tuti found one...
January 30; Kupwara, Kashmir The floods that hit Kashmir valley in September last year, swelled the Khemil river that resulted in devastation of crops in Kupwara district. What made things worse for the residents was the lack of dredging in the river: the fertile land was fast turning barren. Community...
Each year, approximately 56,000 women in India die in childbirth – a staggering number. This is particularly horrifying because today, no women need die in childbirth. Nearly every single one of these deaths could have been prevented – had the women received the medical care they are entitled to by...
Over 60% of India’s population depends on agricultural land to sustain themselves. At an average one hectare of land supports five people. For large parts of this population, especially tribals and scheduled castes, access to this land is problematic; most don’t have proper land tenure or when they do, the...
January 16; Darbhanga, Bihar Most often, to get the government machinery working, all that is required is a nudge in right direction. For many in India’s poorest communities factors like caste and class stand in the way of approaching officials and getting things done. It was therefore that nobody in...
The meandering Chapora River, the site of pink and purple sunsets and swaying coconut trees, has become a hotbed of arguments and grievances over the past few years. Local residents of Siolim Vaddy in Goa are infuriated by the multiple inconveniences being caused by Teso Waterfront, a river facing resort...
In Jharkhand, some 228 families have spent the last three years clinging to their land, defying the Indian government, the World Bank and an international coal conglomerate. But the government’s decision to do away with mandatory consent in the Land Acquisition Act may spell the end of their struggle. ...
Video Volunteers has long recognised that there is a problem with the media coverage of Kashmir, and in response, we decided to bring our model of community video to Kashmir in September 2013, when we trained 11 Right to Information (RTI) activists as video reporters. The timing was fortuitous, because...