Sectors

Insights, best practices and the latest research on what works and what needs to change across sectors including agriculture, education, climate change, livelihoods, and public health.

IDR Interviews | Shankar Singh (Part II)

Co-founder of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) and RTI activist Shankar Singh talks about the role of music and theatre in driving social movements, and how to remain motivated amid adversity.

by Rajika Seth, Rakesh Swami | 6 min read

Latest

Laws that limit women’s employment in India

A report reveals that there are more than 150 labour laws that restrict women’s workforce participation in India and suggests ways to rectify the situation.

by Abhishek Singh | 6 min read

Bridging the gap between education and learning

The ASER 2023 survey findings indicate that India's education system needs to account for the creativity, aspirations, and digital literacy of its youth to ensure that years of schooling translate into lifelong learning.

by Annette Francis | 6 min read

SUPPORTED BY FF

A primer on India’s disability law

With provisions ranging from education and employment to healthcare allowances, these are the rights guaranteed under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016.

by India Development Review | 8 min read

Climate Emergency

What are coastal commons?

Coastal commons play an important economic, social, and ecological role but are facing increasing pressure due to climate change, pollution, and coastal erosion.

by Max Martin | 6 min read

IDR Interviews | Shankar Singh (Part I)

Co-founder of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) and a key figure in the agitation for the right to information, Shankar Singh tells us about his early influences and building and sustaining movements.

by Rajika Seth, Rakesh Swami | 8 min read

Ground Up

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

SUPPORTED BY MAF

A giving festival in the land of loss: Cherchera in Chhattisgarh

by Murli Das Sant

Korba district, Chhattisgarh

Power for whom? The cost of renewable energy in Ladakh

by Jigmat Paljor

Leh district, Ladakh

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Sun, sand, and sustainability: Conserving Goa’s coastal dunes

by Shantha Venugopal

North Goa district, Goa

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Population in red: Crabs struggle for survival in West Bengal

Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal

More Articles

coal mine in jharkahnd_natural resource extraction

Environment | April 10, 2024

Who owns a nation’s natural resources?

Current practices of natural resource extraction burden indigenous communities and deny future generations of their rightful share.

by Simon Taylor, Saswati Swetlena, Mike McCormack, Patrick Bond, Rahul Basu | 5 min read

temporary public toilets_denotified tribes

Water & Sanitation | April 9, 2024

The missing piece in sanitation access for nomadic and denotified tribes

Social welfare schemes and public facilities are not planned keeping this population in mind. Here's why this needs to change.

by Deepa Pawar | 4 min read

women explaining watershed work in binpur_water crisis

Water & Sanitation | March 22, 2024

SUPPORTED BY HUF

Photo essay: Farmers combat the water crisis

To counter India’s water crisis, nonprofits from across the country are helping farmers adopt innovative techniques to reduce water usage in agriculture.

by Priyanka Rawat | 4 min read

workers mining coal

Rights | March 19, 2024

Why coal communities are more worried about land than jobs

Community members in the coal mining districts of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand explain why the just transition plan in India should focus on giving the land back to the locals.

by Saloni Meghani, Debojit Dutta, Kumari Rohini | 7 min read

a sensor on the ground surrounded by grass-cash crops farming

Agriculture | March 13, 2024

Sowing seeds for water security

Paddy and sugarcane are water-intensive crops, but farmers in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh are practising water-efficient methods to cultivate these crops.

by Srishti Gupta, Sneha Philip | 6 min read

Houses in a row_spiti architecture

Livelihoods | March 12, 2024

Photo essay: Spiti’s changing architecture

A woodcrafter describes how a cash crop, a burgeoning tourism business, and urban aspirations changed community life and housing design in Spiti.

by Angdui Phuntsok, HimKatha | 4 min read

a child walking with a goat in a village-adivasi livelihood

Livelihoods | March 8, 2024

Adivasi livelihoods in Central India: What the numbers say

A survey of Adivasi households in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh reveals malnutrition, landlessness, and poor literacy, and suggests ways to overcome these challenges.

by Dibyendu Chaudhuri, Parijat Ghosh | 7 min read

A group of women marching_coal mine

Rights | February 7, 2024

Coal Satyagraha: Adivasis reclaim their natural resources

People in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district have set up their own coal company and built an ecosystem for sustained resistance against corporate mining.

by Rajesh Kumar Tripathi | 8 min read

A farmer in a field_kinnow cultivation

Agriculture | February 2, 2024

The unabated paddy monoculture of Punjab

Market fluctuations and a lack of economically viable alternatives is forcing farmers in Punjab to continue cultivating paddy, despite the presence of high-yielding crops such as kinnow.

by Gurpreet Singh, Nivedita Sharma | 4 min read

two women looking at a solar panel-renewable energy

Livelihoods | February 1, 2024

SUPPORTED BY MAF

Are DRE technologies the future of rural livelihoods?

Decentralised renewable energy (DRE) technologies can support the growth of small businesses and microenterprises in rural India. Here’s how grassroots nonprofits can help.

by Divya Gaur, Angarika Gogoi | 6 min read

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