The public relations officer of the Allahabad University stated that the decision to hike fees was taken after consulting all the stakeholders and is in the best interests of the students as well as the institution. Details here.

No house, no LPG connection, no ration card, no voter ID, no electricity … just like Puttanlal, who lives in Hardoi district in Uttar Pradesh, many are still miles away from various government welfare schemes

Protesting against the insufficient allocation of funds for the rural employment guarantee scheme, as many as 500 daily wage workers from 15 states have gathered at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. The protesters also demand an increase in the number of working days in the wake of diminishing employment opportunities and rising inflation. Details here.

Sarmita, a resident of Samasnagar village, has a cell phone, a bank account and an LPG connection. But she has no piped water or a toilet. There are many Sarmitas in this New India

The Anghar Mukt Abhiyan is an awareness campaign to sensitise the local villagers regarding forest fire. The programme, conducted in 113 buffer villages of the tiger reserve, has witnessed participation of close to 10,000 people. The incidence of forest fires in Melghat has come down from 379 in 2016 to 221 in 2021.

There has been a continuous rise in the prices of commodities in the last two months. The food price inflation rate in rural India has almost doubled in a year, and is higher than in urban India. Rural citizens have reduced the consumption of pulses, vegetables and milk. This is likely to have long-term health impacts, warn experts. A Gaon Connection report.

While power projects bring prosperity to the nation, people living in its shadow are often left behind when it comes to enjoying the benefits. Development projects must prioritise health and livelihoods of local populations. Development has to be ‘just’.