Archive

How Mahua seeds made rural women independent

 
/ January 3, 2017

“Now we step out of our homes confidently. This is our achievement”. This statement sums up the spirit of euphoria of the members of “Bansidhara Producer Group Of Women”, a Self Help Group formed in Bijgori village of Odisha. Around 36 women members from Bijgori village joined to form Bansidhara...

Community Impact: School implements RTE rules

 
/ November 2, 2016

The Right to Education (RTE) Act has laid down norms and standards for schools to ensure incluive and quality education for all children of India. All the elementary schools have to comply to these rules. Unfortunately, many schools, especially in the hinterlands of India flaunt these rules because the authorities...

Odisha reveals how Mahua flowers and seeds are a Wonder Oil

 
/ November 1, 2016

25 Adivasi (tribal) families live in a hamlet called Bhalukhola village, in the Sambalpur district of Odisha. It is surrounded by hills and trees in abundance. The natural resources are plentiful. Our community correspondent, Mamta, reports for Indiaunheard. The women of this village have mastered an age-old art of taking...

Crumbling Schools in Villages Soldier on Despite the Odds

 
/ October 17, 2016

Whether it be a primary school in Chhatisgarh or a secondary school in Odisha one common factor shines through. Their shining eyes. The children come to school, uniforms clean, with the joy of learning giving them hope for a better future. Their parents take pride in their lessons, even if...

Survivors of Perished Farmers lead a movement against Odisha Govt

 
/ June 30, 2016

5000 farmers from western Odisha, marched to the main square, Gangadhar Mandap, of Sambalpur city in agitation as Odisha government refuses to link farmer suicides to crop failure. The state inquiry reports state that the farmer deaths are mainly due to family disputes and excessive liquor consumption and not due...

Cooperative society in Odisha fudges loan amounts of over 200 farmers

 
/ April 20, 2016

Bholenath Pradhan committed suicide in broad daylight outside his house by consuming pesticides as his family and neighbours looked on helplessly. Pradhan was only indebted with loans worth at least Rs. 15,000 but fudging of documents of Odisha based Bansajal Cooperative Society showed loans worth Rs. 61,000 against his name....

The missing piece in rising farmer’s suicide in India

 
/ April 15, 2016

Hiralal Sahu ended his life in October in Odisha, joining several thousands of farmers across the country in a tragic and seemingly unending saga of despair and death. Sahu, a resident of a small village in Baragada district of Odisha consumed a large dose of pesticides because he was unable...

Where People Starve to Death: Odisha, India

 
/ March 16, 2016

A 9-year-old child, Dhira Nag, kept her 55-year old grandmother Sua Dei alive by sneaking home food from her school’s mid-day meal. However, Sua Dei ultimately died of starvation in Bolangir district in December 2015, sparking a row in the Odisha Assembly. While most media houses focussed on politicians misbehaving,...