Telangana’s Farmers’ Friend Scheme Has Failed To Stem Farm Distress, Or Farmers’ Anger
Why 277,160 Women Leaders Remain Invisible To Tamil Nadu’s Political Parties
Tamil Nadu’s Women Leaders Live, Work In The Shadow Of Violence
Why Muthukanni, A Dalit, Had To Build Her Own Panchayat Office
Meagre Funds, No Salary: How Tamil Nadu’s Women Leaders Still Succeed
The Triumph Of Sharmila Devi And Tamil Nadu’s Women Leaders
The Woman Who Brought Drinking Water, Toilets To A Lost Panchayat
Five years ago, Melamarungoor, a panchayat in Sivagangai district, was starved of funds and official attention. Panchayat president Mazharkodi Dhanasekar built 650 toilets making the panchayat open defecation-free, brought water to villages that were dry and set up a reverse osmosis system worth Rs 300,000–all with funds that she had to lobby hard for. … Continued
In A Sylvan Valley, One Woman Reveals, Changes Lives Obscured By Beauty
As panchayat president for Sittilinghi in Dharmapuri district, 39-year-old Tenmozhi built a Rs 30-crore bridge (in photograph), health centre, battled child marriage and now lobbies for a higher-secondary school that will allow girls an alternative to marrying early. Sittilinghi, Dharmapuri district (Tamil Nadu): Nestled in a sylvan valley in northwestern Tamil Nadu and surrounded … Continued
Illiterate, Married at 11, Mother At 12: Panchayat President Now Changes Fates
Sidhamallamma Kanchappa, 32, a tribal panchayat president of the Padiganalm village, in Krishnagiri district, had her first child at 12. That experience taught her the importance of women’s health and control over their bodies. She got herself trained as a health worker and actively monitors reproductive and maternal health of women in her panchayat. … Continued
Krishnaveni’s Story And The Era Of Women Panchayat Presidents
P Krishnaveni, the Dalit former president of the Thalaiyuthu panchayat, in Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, lost fingers, a ear and was left for dead when she challenged caste and gender hierarchies. The attack made her more determined than ever. She eventually won the support of other castes and communities by focussing on the development needs … Continued