There are winds of change in Dua village where installation of 32 CCTVs, setting up of an IT centre at panchayat bhavan, and upgrading facilities at the primary school have transformed village life.

More than 8,000 mukhiyas are set to march to Patna on October 2 to demand redressal of their grievances, and action on their 19 demands. These village heads claim their powers and authority were being eroded by the government.

Farmers lose standing crops, homes and livestock to fires caused by stubble burning, short circuits and electricity theft. Rising temperatures and the westerly winds fan the flames in the summer season when the incidence of fires increases 40-50%.

Kalpana who runs a ‘sanitary pad depot’ in Mirtala village, Uttar Pradesh, has become a confidante of the young girls there who are now able to freely discuss menstruation and personal hygiene issues with her without any hesitation. For the past three years, she has been selling sanitary pads at a cheaper cost to village women.