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by Shweta Kushe | 1 min read

Water & Sanitation

Photo essay: Where there are no sewers

A window into the world of the people who clean latrines in urban India.

by C S Sharada Prasad, Isha Ray | 5 min read

INR denomination five coins arranged in a diagonal_Unsplash

Philanthropy & CSR

Big investors need to change the way they do business

As more mainstream investors enter the impact investment market, we need them to think about impact, front and centre.

by Smarinita Shetty | 7 min read

Ground Up

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Bite-sized stories from the people closest to the action.

Water & Sanitation

More toilets, more problems

by Khabar Lahariya

Chitrakoot district, Uttar Pradesh

Education

Public school runaways

by Anish Kumar

Jhabua district, Madhya Pradesh

Diversity & Inclusion

'Purush' vs 'aadmi'

by Outline India

Alwar district, Rajasthan

Livelihoods

Wedding season

by Shantanu Gharpure

Beed district, Maharashtra

Perspectives

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Op-eds and commentary that hold a mirror up to civil society, reflect upon its evolution, and unpack key trends.

Illustration of placards and fists raised

Perspectives

We shouldn't expect philanthropists to fund activism

Since philanthropists are unlikely to fund anything that destabilises their businesses, building independent institutions can be an effective approach to create lasting impact.

by Anurag Behar | 5 min read

Perspectives

The moral questions every leader must ask

What are we losing when civil society chooses to champion the ‘rights’ of the people?

by Sanjiv Phansalkar | 8 min read

Perspectives

Is philanthropy really changing anything?

Skepticism around philanthropy is growing. Here's what philanthropists can do to ensure there is more alignment with what society wants.

by Vidya Shah | 5 min read

IDR Interviews

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Conversations with visionaries on their life's work, and their efforts to challenge the status quo in our country.

Illustration of Deep Joshi, PRADAN_Aditya Krishnamurthy

“I can’t empower somebody else. Power is something that is within everybody.”

Deep Joshi
6 min read

“Development evolves from within; when you do it to others, it needs a different name. I would just call it colonisation.”

Vandana Shiva
10 min read

“It isn’t just enough to learn about the reality of the situation. You have to act on it. ”

Stan Swamy
6 min read

Sectors

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Insights and analysis of specific sectors in the development arena—what works, what doesn't, and what needs to change.

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Water & Sanitation

The hidden opportunity in wastewater reuse

Leveraging sanitation infrastructure for water conservation will help address India's water scarcity problem.

by Y. Malini Reddy, Jyothsna Devi | 5 min read

Water & Sanitation

Photo essay: Where there are no sewers

A window into the world of the people who clean latrines in urban India.

by C S Sharada Prasad, Isha Ray | 5 min read

Diagnostic and treatment medication for drug-resistant TB at AIIMS New Delhi, India

Health

India's 'missing' tuberculosis cases

India has the highest number of TB cases globally. Still, an estimated 550,000 TB cases have not been registered, and more than half the cases of drug-resistant TB remain undetected, undiagnosed, and untreated.

by IndiaSpend, Swagata Yadavar | 6 min read

Themes

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Approaches and ideas that cut across sectors and counter the dominant narratives around us.

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Social Business

What counts as impact

As large pools of capital get allocated, we have to make sure that the soul of impact investing is not compromised.

by Vineet Rai | 5 min read

Social Justice

Fighting the spectre of stigma

Stigma acts as a major roadblock in the healing process for survivors of trafficking. Here's a five point approach we can use to mitigate it.

by Roop Sen, Uma Chatterjee | 4 min read

Philanthropy & CSR

Big investors need to change the way they do business

As more mainstream investors enter the impact investment market, we need them to think about impact, front and centre.

by Smarinita Shetty | 7 min read

Expertise

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Skills and functions that are core to growing programmes and organisations.

See all coverage by topic:

Programme

Bridging the last mile connectivity gap

What challenges do policies and programmes face in reaching every last person, and how can they be addressed?

by Ayesha Marfatia | 5 min read

Board & Governance

Your board is only as good as you want it to be

In most cases, a board’s contribution to an organisation is determined by the CEO’s ask of it. Here's how you can engage them beyond just compliance.

by Aarti Madhusudan | 3 min read

MNREGA workers passing bricks on a construction site

Monitoring & Evaluation

Evidence is about facts, policy is a political decision

While economists can contribute to more informed policy discussions they ought to be cautious in offering advice on policy design.

by Jean Drèze | 10 min read

P Sainath on India's agrarian crisis

Kamla Bhasin on listening to the communities you work with

History of social action in India: From 1947 onwards

Photo of the month

Rural cartography

November 2019 | Women from the Village Organisation (VO) in Koimari (Rangjuli block, Assam) carried out a 'resource mapping' of their village, a two-day exercise facilitated by professionals from the development organisation SeSTA. The houses in this map are colour-coded to reflect which ones have piped water, sanitation, and so on. Having this information makes them better placed to demand improvements from their local government.

Teesta and Rangeet

October 2019 | The rivers Teesta and Rangeet are named after two river-spirits who challenged each other to a race down the hills. The Lepcha people of Sikkim consider the race's finish line, the confluence of the two rivers, to be a sacred site. Newlyweds are taken here, and people wish them a life as happy and prosperous as the two river-spirits. Photo: Zarir De Vitre

Classroom learning

September 2019 | In a school in Dharwad district, Karnataka. Photo: Deepta Sunil

Fast fashion

August 2019 | Worn for ceremonies and by elders of the Toda tribe, a shawl like this takes more than three months to complete. ‘Slow fashion’—where the experience and effort that goes into making a garment is recognised and respected, is quickly losing out to fast fashion. Photo: Native Picture

Against the grain

July 2019 | Nagaland is the largest producer of maize among all the north eastern states in India—it is grown in every district of the state, and is its second most important food crop after rice. Recently, however, the crop has come under attack by the Fall Armyworm, a pest that has devastated maize fields in neighbouring states, and preliminary calculations estimate that it has affected nearly 1,70,000 hectares of maize crop across the country. Photo: Dhruvank Vaidya

The peripheries

June 2019 | The Fakhruddin Gutta hills, on the outskirts of Hyderabad are one of the few sites with rich biodiversity left in the city, but environmentalists are concerned about the quarrying taking place here. The destruction of nature to further urban development is a major concern in the midst of our climate crisis. Photo: Goutham Raj KJ

Nomadic life

April 2019 | Shivam, a blacksmith from Madhya Pradesh working in Magadi, Karnataka: “There are many blacksmiths in MP. Everyone travels to different parts of the country. We got here about a year ago and we’ll leave after Shivarathri. We plan from the time Ragi (finger millet) is ready for harvest till the end of Shivarathri.” “That’d be October to March?” “We don’t know the English calendar, we travel according to the seasons and to the festivals and that’s how we know what tools are used when.” Photo: Native Picture

Faith in water

March 2019 | Kamala, a tribal woman (Bangalpadi, Nilgiris): “Why is there a temple next to the spring?” “God is important and so is water. There is no point having a temple without water or water without a temple, both are as important. We survive because of the spring water. I’m happy that the younger generations are taking good care of the springs. People from nearby hamlets come here for water during summer months. There is no God without water and there is no water without God.” Photo: Native Picture

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What counts as impact

Our solutions for education aren't working. Here's why.

How to work with boys to reduce violence against women

Research, for whom?

P Sainath: The water crisis is not caused by drought

India's population explosion narrative is misleading

Finding your social purpose

Latest

Fighting the spectre of stigma

The hidden opportunity in wastewater reuse

Dressing for social sector conferences 101

Photo essay: Where there are no sewers

Big investors need to change the way they do business

Ground Up

More toilets, more problems

Public school runaways

'Purush' vs 'aadmi'

Wedding season

Perspectives

We shouldn't expect philanthropists to fund activism

The moral questions every leader must ask

Is philanthropy really changing anything?

IDR Interviews

Sectors

The hidden opportunity in wastewater reuse

Photo essay: Where there are no sewers

India's 'missing' tuberculosis cases

Themes

What counts as impact

Fighting the spectre of stigma

Big investors need to change the way they do business

Expertise

Bridging the last mile connectivity gap

Your board is only as good as you want it to be

Evidence is about facts, policy is a political decision

Videos

P Sainath on India's agrarian crisis

Why do you read IDR?

Kamla Bhasin on listening to the communities you work with

History of social action in India: From 1947 onwards

Dr Fernandez on urban health

Kamla Bhasin on feminism

Photo of the month

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Write for us

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