Sarala, was a poor woman who used to depend on rainfed single cropping farmlands from her in laws. She got training on agro-ecological practices as a Krishi Sakhi during the process. She also dug a well through MGNREGS, installed a drip irrigation system, taking a loan from SHG, introduced chemical-free Rabi season vegetables in her field. She has inspired another 20 women from SHGs. She also has addressed the challenges of vegetable marketing through collectivization at Producer’s Group (PG) level, doing the business of organic products and earning about Rs 90,000 per annum).

Introduction Uttari Noneya and Enarwabhar villages, which were located in Paharpur block in Purbi Champaran District of Bihar, had no proper drainage system. As a result, wastewater was stagnating near the houses, creating unhygienic conditions and providing a breeding ground for mosquitoes. To address this issue, it was decided to provide soak pits to individual households in these villages. The primary objective of this intervention was not only to improve the hygiene in these villages but also to use the wastewater for recharging the groundwater. The Block Development Office initiated the project.

The district administration of Latehar in Jharkhand has been gifting soaps to families in backward villages, located far from the block headquarters of Garu. Their intension is to seek their collective effort to fight against the practice of open defecation in their villages. The move by the block sanitation committee has enhanced people’s personal hygiene behavior.

Being grown up in a farmer’s family, Alice has a passion for agricultural development in her area. Her father, who is a well-known agriculturist of her area, has inspired her to take up agriculture as a primary source of livelihoods. Until her marriage, she used to help her father in the agricultural activity in the village. Soon after her marriage, she continued to be involved in agriculture in a different way like adopting the modern practices which are more sustainable and lucrative as compared to traditional farming.

Introduction Odi River originates from Madansagarat, which is located in Katal area of Madanpur village of Mandwara development block in Lalitpur District. There are four Gram Panchayats, namely Madanpur, Didaunia, Hansera and Paharikala, which are situated near river basin. The flow of water from the river has lost its force and natural form due to the presence of many check dams with the accumulation of silts. The geographical and vegetative balance of the river started to deteriorate due to which the rejuvenation of the Odi River had become extremely important. This work was taken up by the district administration.

Jalore is a dark zone district in Rajasthan where the extraction of groundwater takes place at a faster rate than its recharge. Although water from the Narmada canal is used for drinking purposes, there is insufficient water for agriculture and other uses, considering that the district receives scanty rainfall. This was reported by the Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) team comprising Central Nodal Officer (CNO) – Anuradha Prasad, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Labour And Employment, Government of India; Block Nodal Officer (BNO) – Chandra Kant Reejonia, Director, Ministry of Law and Justice; Technical Officers (TO) – Deb Jyoti Monda and Junaid Ahmad, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

Intricate threadwork, motifs and vibrant colours describe the handloom weaves of Odisha that have gained national and international acclaim. Of these the Sambalpuri sarees handloom which is a centuries old traditional family occupation that has all members of a family working together, comes from Sonepur district also called Subarnapur district of the Sambalpur belt of the state. The weaving skill of these cottage industries has been passed down for generations, making it a prized handloom.

Ayushman Bharat is an integrated approach covering primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare through: a. Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) at the primary healthcare level. These centres will provide Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC). HWCs will cover both maternal and child health services and non-communicable diseases, including free essential drugs and diagnostic services. b. Financial protection for accessing curative care at the secondary and tertiary levels through Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY). This is world’s largest government funded health insurance program targeting more than 50 crore beneficiaries.

As many as 15,000 saplings were planted across 15 hectares of forest land in Mai Chal Chorian village of Dasuya block in Hoshiarpur district of Punjab in 2018-19. The afforestation activity was carried out under PUNCAMPA (Punjab Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority) degraded programme of the state government. PUNCAMPA is meant to accelerate activities related to conservation of forests and wildlife and development of infrastructure in these sectors. It aims to promote conservation, protection, regeneration and management of forests.

“Sanitation is a vast subject; it’s not just about toilets,” says the young and energetic Sarpanch of Janla panchayat in Jatani block of Khorda district in Odisha, who has many dreams for his community. An MBA degree holder, Pradosh Kumar Jena (32) left his well paid corporate job in Delhi to return to his village and contribute to its development.