An estimated 12,000 Bhil tribal residents along the Udai river in Nandurbar district of Maharashtra have no access to healthcare, education, livelihood, administration and communication. All because the promised bridge over the river Udai has been under construction for the past 15 years and still remains incomplete.

Nandurbar is amongst Maharashtra’s least developed districts. A large chunk of the tribal population migrates seasonally to work as cane cutters. The children are left behind in the villages, in the care of Jeevan Shalas, where teachers educate them and take care of their other needs. Gaon Connection travelled to remote tribal villages and met teachers who are the lifeline of these Jeevan Shalas.

A teacher in a village government school in Nuapada, Odisha has been regularly donating blood for the past 30 years. He has participated in more than 400 blood donation camps and organises awareness drives for blood donation.

Heat waves scorching parts of India during the summer season is not unheard of but temperature rising above 40 degrees celsius during the middle of March seems to be an unprecedented phenomenon. After a brief respite for a week, the country is now gearing for another episode of intense heat. Here's how climate change is making its presence felt in India' summer season this year.

Many farmers in the region have locked their homes and are gone. Parched crops and dry hand pumps greet visitors. There is no water; none to drink, none for irrigation. Maharashtra's Marathwada region, heartland of farmer deaths, is going through a devastating summer

Recognising the importance of preserving and protecting its biodiversity, Kiraksal village in Satara district has worked tirelessly towards improving the living conditions of not just its human inhabitants but also its birds, beasts and butterflies.

Climate experts link the heat wave in India to climate change. They stress on the need for public cooling areas, uninterrupted electricity and access to safe drinking water, especially for the vulnerable groups during the extreme heat days. Details here.

In a welcome move, close to 3.3 million students in 35,773 government schools in the state are being offered nutritious madua (ragi) laddu every Wednesday. But the money allocation is not enough, complain school managements.

A government school teacher for nearly 30 years, Satyavan has taken it upon himself to teach his students and others the larger lesson of how to keep the planet green and healthy. Popularly known as Triveni Baba, the teacher has planted 5 million trees across his home state of Haryana and several other states.

'The State of Rural India Report 2021' is a unique compendium of 14 themes and 60 stories that define the key happenings and developments in India's villages in 2021.These broad themes include The Second Wave; Health; Agriculture; Livelihood; Water; Disasters; Forest and Wildlife; Climate Change; Adivasi; Gender Matters; Education, Youth & Sports; Art, Craft & Tradition; Agents of Change; and Food, Festival & Culture.