G Varalakshmi was born into a poor agricultural family. Poverty at home meant that she could not complete her education and was soon married off to Lakshamanna. At a very young age itself, Varalakshmi displayed the qualities of a committed and hard-working individual in all spheres of activities she was entrusted . Following her marriage, she moved to Devanakonda Mandal in Kurnool district, a region that was prone to drought.

The journey of Mrs. Dipali Devi started as a member of the Ramdhenu SHG under Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY) way back in 2009. However, the group could not sustain due to lack of livelihood activities for its member and improper repayment within the group. The SHG was revived in 2013 under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY -NRLM), and after a few years of initial up and downs, the members finally decided to take their future in their own hands and adopted improved livelihood practices for ensuring a sustainable income.

Ms. C. Lalawmpuii (Maawmi) lives with her family in a small village called Hmuntha, located near the Tawi Bird Sanctuary within Serchhip District, Mizoram. She was brought up in a farming family, and her husband is a graduate who gives due importance to education. Concerned about the low quality and standard of the education system in their village, her husband took the initiative to uplift the standard of education and started running an English medium school. However, due to financial constraints, they were finding it difficult to run the school.

“I was scared and angry. I decided not to immunize my children anymore”, as Abdul Hai Seikh was narrating his trepidation, the climatic mugginess of Dhubri at the bank of Brahmaputra and ‘mora’ Gadadhar was creating droplets of perspiration on his forehead. Abdul, the father of two, became firm in his resistance against vaccination after his younger child developed fever post vaccination.

The boat ambulance immunizing mothers and children in the most difficult terrain of Alirajpur, M.P. Situated in the historical Malwa region occupying a plateau of volcanic origin, Alirajpur district comprises some of the most difficult terrain of west-central India as well as Madhya Pradesh. Alirajpur, one of the newest districts of the state is a tribal area with poor transportation services and poor road access.

Women moving out of home is a taboo in Ranjan Kanwar’s community, but that could not hold her indoors, with much resistance, she became a member of an SHG, took loan to purchase a sewing machine to do stitching business, next loan was to buy a buffalo, being a Pashu Sakhi was the most significant achievement of her life. She went for a long training to Lucknow.

The ‘Eat Right India’ movement was launched by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to usher in a ‘new food culture’ by nudging businesses and consumers to adopt safe, healthy and sustainable food practices and habits. As part of the Eat Right India movement, the ‘Eat Right Mela’ was conceived to engage, excite and enable citizens to eat right through an info-tainment model.

Since childhood, Anjela has the regret of not pursuing higher education, as she had to drop out after passing 10th standard. Poverty used to prevail in her house, which prevented her from studying further. Her father gave priority for her elder brother’s higher education, rather than her education as he could not afford the higher education expenses of both. She has to help her father on the farm to meet the household expenses.

Ranjana had only one acre of non-cultivable land, thus she was a daily wage labourer, she became a member of the SHG, then Pashu Sakhi got 43 days of training on goat rearing, purchased her first goat, taking loans from SHG that has increased now to 5 goats and 20 kids; established a `Memna Nursery’ for 10 kids and earned Rs 1,14,200 this year. She has trained 46 fellow SHG members and brought down goat mortality from 30% to zero; increased their income from goat to about Rs 36,000 per annum.

Mrs. Pramila was married at an age of 15 in a poor family. Her family has 7 members including 3 children. Although her family owns 1 acre of land, the produce is not adequate enough to meet her family round the year need. This situation compelled her husband to migrate to Assam to work as a labour in the tea garden to sustain his family. In order to produce more from this her land she applied chemical fertilizers and pesticides in her farm but to little avail.