While the Indian government gives monetary benefits to the rural poor, there are glitches in the system. A recent study revealed that 63 per cent of all respondent beneficiaries of these DBT welfare schemes faced problems withdrawing cash.

The state government’s relief package aims to compensate farmers who had faced devastating damage to their crops due to floods in the months of September-October last year as well as those who suffered losses due to the unseasonal rains in January this year. The compensation amount will be distributed through direct beneficiary transfers (DBT). Details here.

A little more than half of the 500 million no-frills Jan Dhan accounts opened in India in the past nine years belong to women. Access to banking has enabled rural women to be in charge of their own finances and their children's’ future.

Both over and under development of groundwater is limiting the adaptive capacity of Indian agriculture to climate change. Solar irrigation, expanding across India, may provide an opportunity to manage groundwater in both over and underexploited areas.

One in three newborns in Rajasthan are underweight. The state government attributes it to poor health awareness amongst the mothers. Poshan Champions visit homes of expectant women to counsel them, enrol them for the government’s maternity cash benefit scheme, and also raise awareness on nutrition and other health issues. A ground report.

A survey conducted in Bihar by Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan highlighted the ‘abysmal’ condition of the government schools. It advocated for measures like compliance with the Right to Education Act, providing eggs every day with the midday meal and a ban on tuition centres during school hours.

Ruchit Garg, who worked at Microsoft at its headquarters at Redmond in Washington, launched an app -- Harvesting Farmer Network -- that helps farmers with basics like managing pests and selling produce. Gaon Connection caught up with Ruchit to discuss benefits of this app