Around the same time when Mohammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank were writing their Nobel story of rural empowerment, a woman in the humble districts of south Bengal started a micro-credit scheme similar to that of the Bangladeshi icon who was feted with the Peace prize in 2006. Madhuri Ghosh hadn’t heard of Yunus or his work when she formed the Bagnan I Mahila Bikash Co-operative Credit Society Ltd in 1997, but her feat is no less inspiring.

National Rural Livelihood Mission aiming at ensuring economic development of poor rural families is being implemented in 15 districts of Madhya Pradesh in the first phase. Now, livelihood activities of the mission will begin in ten more districts and cover 25 districts under District Poverty Initiative Project. These include 12 thousand 800 villages in 116 development blocks.

Has Wi-Fi, AC Classrooms & Insurance For All
Ahmedabad: Think of an Indian village and what comes to mind are images of mooing cows, open drains and kids playing ants and frog games.

But, Punsari, a motley village in Gujarat’s Himmatnagar, talks about Wi-Fi and optical fiber broadband network, its children spend best of their times in air-conditioned classrooms with CCTV cameras. The village also boasts of its own mini-bus transport system and there are 25-odd CCTVs located on important junctions to spot litterbugs.

ANGUL: Protesting the midnight arrest of 11 anti-JR Power Plant leaders, hundreds of locals under the banner of Jiban Jibika Krusijami Suraksha Samiti laid siege to Kishorenagar Police Station in Athamallick sub-division on Friday. They demanded immediate release of those arrested while police forwarded the latter to court early in the morning.

MUMBAI: In view of the growing number of mobile towers in villages, Maharashtra government will formulate guidelines for rural areas after studying effects of radiation. The urban development department has prepared a set of guidelines for which views and opinions of rural development, public health, medical education department were sought.

There have been complaints that people living in the vicinity of radio magnetic waves generated from the mobile towers are facing health hazards.

Bangalore: Power struggle, politicking and blame game are keeping state BJP leaders busy. And there is no one to pay attention to the problems faced by drought-hit people in the districts. The chief minister, his colleagues and party legislators should have been helping out people of 123 drought-affected taluks. Instead, they have camped in New Delhi and Bangalore and are happily engaged in mudslinging and power-grabbing.