Who bears the brunt of Bhopal’s devotion?

Banned plaster of paris idols continue to flood Bhopal’s markets and its lakes. Weak enforcement and consumer demand leave artisans with few alternatives.

by Pragya Sharma | 2 min read

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Latest

As e-PDS fails in Adivasi areas, families turn to WhatsApp and wall notices

Adivasi families in Andhra Pradesh are unable to digitally track their ration cards. An offline information system ensures that people can demand their full entitlements.

by Vanthala Bhaskar, Jartha Matyakondababu | 3 min read

Can play improve learning in India’s classrooms?

Despite encouragement from the National Education Policy, play-based learning finds little space in schools. Here’s how it boosts curiosity, confidence, and critical thinking in children.

by Shweta Chari | 4 min read

Social sector news, The Onion style

The difference between real and fake news keeps getting more blurred.

by Halima Ansari, Shriya Roy | 2 min read

A closer look at India’s expanding teaching workforce

Here is what six charts reveal about the spread and shortages in India’s 10 million teachers.

by Vijay Jadhav, IndiaSpend | 3 min read

The wolf of Zanskar valley

As weather patterns and vegetation in Ladakh shift, Tibetan wolves have begun venturing into villages to hunt livestock.

by Tenzin Loden | 2 min read

Ground Up

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

photo

Who bears the brunt of Bhopal’s devotion?

by Pragya Sharma

Bhopal district, Madhya Pradesh

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As e-PDS fails in Adivasi areas, families turn to WhatsApp and wall notices

by Vanthala Bhaskar, Jartha Matyakondababu

Alluri Sitarama Raju district, Andhra Pradesh

photo

The wolf of Zanskar valley

by Tenzin Loden

Kargil district, Ladakh

Advocacy & Government

photo

In Dhadgaon, the last mile is actually the signal

by Kalpesh Pawara, Nitesh Bhardwaj

Nandurbar district, Maharashtra

Videos

#OnTheContrary by IDR Episode 3 | Rooting philanthropy in well-being

A day in the life of

Frontline workers and first responders share their insights from working at the grassroots.

Why conservation needs connection: Guarding Rajasthan’s forests

A day in the life of a forest guard, who navigates gender roles, community needs, and conservation in Rajasthan.

by Santosh Kunwar Bhati | 5 min read

Health & Well-being

From self to society: Navigating silence and stigma around mental health

A day in the life of a community health worker in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, who tackles mental health stigma through trust and support—in her own life and for the people she serves.

by Geeta Shakya | 6 min read

SUPPORTED BY KOITA FOUNDATION

Observing classrooms, building capacities

A day in the life of an educator, who uses a technology-enabled approach to coach government school teachers in Palghar, Maharashtra.

by Ketan Tambe | 8 min read

Failure Files

Social change leaders chronicle their failures and lessons learnt.

Leadership & Talent

Building team culture isn’t optional

A nonprofit co-founder reflects on how scaling rapidly unintentionally alienated employees, which led to cracks in organisational culture.

by Vijayalakshmi Mohan | 7 min read

Preparing for a marathon, not a sprint

Dalit civil rights activist Thenmozhi Soundararajan on why failure is an opportunity to build power, how systems of oppression affect well-being, and what healing looks like for individuals and communities.

by India Development Review | 10 min read

Leadership & Talent

Why don’t nonprofits talk about their failures?

A number of risks, both real and perceived, stop nonprofits from talking about failure. Here's how various stakeholders can work together to overcome them.

by Tanaya Jagtiani, Rachita Vora | 7 min read

IDR Interviews

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

"You can’t talk about childcare without talking about labour. About migration. About how women work long hours for low wages. About where they live, what they eat, how invisible they are to systems meant to serve them."

9 min read

"Activists should go to places where laws are made and also where laws are implemented. If you don’t get into politics, you won’t be able to save the country."

3 min read

"I spoke of the rights of Adivasis in my songs. When the state of Jharkhand was created, we had great aspirations, and these aspirations are also woven into my songs."

Madhu Mansuri Hasmukh

8 min read

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Sectors

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

See all coverage by topic:

Health & Well-being

Water & Sanitation

a group of school children sitting on the floor. They have images spread out around them and in front and they are playing with them

Can play improve learning in India’s classrooms?

Despite encouragement from the National Education Policy, play-based learning finds little space in schools. Here’s how it boosts curiosity, confidence, and critical thinking in children.

by Shweta Chari | 4 min read

four adults--three males and a female--observing a class in session--teachers in india

A closer look at India’s expanding teaching workforce

Here is what six charts reveal about the spread and shortages in India’s 10 million teachers.

by Vijay Jadhav, IndiaSpend | 3 min read

four women and a child sitting in a field with dense tree cover in the background--paryavaran sakhis

Women unite to tackle Uttarakhand’s waste problem

Women’s collectives across six Sahastradhara panchayats collect, sort, and manage waste, even as they navigate questions of dignity around waste work.

by Naina Bajpai, Rajesh Goswami | 5 min read

Themes

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

See all coverage by topic:

Advocacy & Government

Climate Emergency

Diversity & Inclusion

Ecosystem Development

Philanthropy & CSR

Social Business

green fields, with those farther away cut into neat plots, and blue skies with some clouds--gramdan

Half a century later, where does India’s Gramdan movement stand today?

Led by Vinoba Bhave, Gramdan, or collective land ownership by villages, emerged as a major social movement in the 1950s and ‘60s. While more than 3,000 gramdani villages exist even today, these communities face complex challenges.

by India Development Review | 6 min read

A group of three women facing a man and woman standing and writing in their notebooks-Monitoring and evaluation

Monitoring & Evaluation

It’s time to rethink MEL

Originally devised to help organisations reflect and learn from their work, monitoring, evaluation, and learning has been reduced to a reporting tool. How can this change?

by India Development Review | 4 min read

a group of people sitting on a carpeted floor--participant data

Ecosystem Development

Keeping participant data safe: What researchers can do

Social science research often involves collecting personal and sensitive information. Data de-identification is one key way researchers can protect participants’ privacy.

by Chandan Jain, Anagha Mariya Jose | 4 min read

Expertise

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

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Board & Governance

Fundraising & Communications

Leadership & Talent

Monitoring & Evaluation

a group of school children sitting on the floor. They have images spread out around them and in front and they are playing with them

Can play improve learning in India’s classrooms?

Despite encouragement from the National Education Policy, play-based learning finds little space in schools. Here’s how it boosts curiosity, confidence, and critical thinking in children.

by Shweta Chari | 4 min read

A group of three women facing a man and woman standing and writing in their notebooks-Monitoring and evaluation

Monitoring & Evaluation

It’s time to rethink MEL

Originally devised to help organisations reflect and learn from their work, monitoring, evaluation, and learning has been reduced to a reporting tool. How can this change?

by India Development Review | 4 min read

a group of people sitting on a carpeted floor--participant data

Ecosystem Development

Keeping participant data safe: What researchers can do

Social science research often involves collecting personal and sensitive information. Data de-identification is one key way researchers can protect participants’ privacy.

by Chandan Jain, Anagha Mariya Jose | 4 min read