January 2016

Struggling for Old Age pension since 4 years

 
/ January 19, 2016

70-year-old Kairi Bodra stopped receiving her old age pension 4 years ago. Alone, Kairi has to take care of all the household work and monthly expenses. She sustains herself by making brooms as her old age restricts her from doing anything else. When she inquired about the pension, she was...

150 families in danger: rock blasting 30 feet away

 
/ January 18, 2016

150 families hide inside their homes as rocks are blasted barely 30 feet away from their village. Government regulations, which dictate at least a 500-meter distance between a mine and a neighboring village are blatantly disregarded as stones and gravel shower down upon the village, reducing their homes to shambles....

Sarhul – A grand tribal festival in Jharkhand

 
/ January 15, 2016

Sarhul is one of the biggest tribal festivals of Jharkhand. It is celebrated during the spring season as flowers blossom on the Saal trees. Sarhul literally means ‘Worship of Saal’ and is dedicated to mother earth. People sing and dance when the new flowers appear. The deities are worshiped with...

IMPACT: MGNREGA workers received dues after 6 months

 
/ January 14, 2016

9 people hadn’t been paid for 100 days of work done under MGNREGA. 6 months later, they finally received their dues – with the help of a video that community correspondent Navita Devi made on this issue. She screened this video to mobilize the community and then to the Panchayat...

Flood hit people in Kulgam village left unaided

 
/ January 11, 2016

Aadi Gutno village of Kulgam District was washed away by September 2014 Kashmir floods. The lack of a concrete protection bund(wall) on the river Vaishoo till date has kept this village vulnerable. Crops, agricultural land, and houses were destroyed the last time River Vaisho breached into the village, putting the...

Lost his leg 6 months ago, still waiting for his pension

 
/ January 5, 2016

‘I was returning from work and on the way, I fell off the train.’ According to the Rajya Samajik Pension Scheme, any individual who is severely disabled – 40% or above – and living below the poverty line, is provided assistance by the government in the form of monthly pension....

1998 floods took their entire village still no respite

 
/ January 4, 2016

An entire village in Malda district of West Bengal was submerged in the 1998 floods. 17 years later, the people have not been given proper homes to stay. – There was no water here, there were houses. – Where are the houses?– No houses are left. They were all submerged....