GENRE: Solutions Citizen Matters

Battling addiction online: How COVID-19 has changed support groups for alcoholics and substance abusers

August 1, 2020 Laasya Shekhar

Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous — two fellowships of men and women who have a shared problem of addiction and help each other to come out of it. How has the pandemic affected them?

From ‘water-starved’ to ‘water-surplus’: Shimla’s success story inspiring other Himachal towns

July 14, 2020 Ashwani Sharma

With the hill town shut, the administration was able to introduce better water conservation systems and improve operational efficiencies. What can other ULBs in the region learn from it?

Banks of another kind: These help Dehradun manage its plastic waste efficiently

June 11, 2020 Anoop Nautiyal

11 plastic banks set up in the city by the Indian Institute of Petroleum and SDC Foundation have collected and sent more than 1800 kg of plastic waste for recycling till date.

City Buzz: Cyclone Amphan batters Kolkata | Drive-through COVID testing in Chandigarh | Mobile mortuaries in Mumbai… and more

May 25, 2020 News Desk

Even as the country continued to witness alarming spikes in COVID-19 cases, a devastating cyclone hit east India. News highlights of last week from the cities

How Swacchata ‘didis’, ward committees and local volunteers in small towns are showing the way to waste management during COVID-19

May 6, 2020 Swati Singh Sambyal

Decentralisation is the most effective way to manage waste, even in a health crisis such as the present. Towns like Panchgani and Ambikapur are setting examples for all.

How youth from a Mumbai slum ensured food for all in the community during the COVID crisis

April 17, 2020 Kaustubh Jagtap

It was not a mean feat — battling poverty, the lockdown and even antagonism from some higher powers. But in an amazing display of method, generosity and resilience, youth from Bhagat Singh Nagar slum gathered under the banner of ‘Bhakar Foundation’ to ensure noone in the slum went hungry.

How Kerala stopped the Coronavirus scare from becoming a full-blown health crisis

February 20, 2020 N V Ravindranathan Nair

Kerala initially declared a “state-specific health emergency” after three positive Coronavirus cases were reported in the state. However, it withdrew the declaration within days and today, the situation is largely normal. No fresh case has been reported from any part of the state.

Delhi Report Card 2: Keen focus on education, but jury still out on outcomes

February 1, 2020 Sri Krishna

It is widely acknowledged that the AAP government placed education reforms at the top of their agenda during their tenure, initiating many experiments, particularly in school education. While some of these have clearly yielded positive results, some have drawn sharp criticism.

Turning fridges to agricultural fields: Mangalore school kids’ unique urban farming experiment

January 5, 2020 Harsha Raj Gatty

The ‘thermally insulated’ compartments of unused, discarded refrigerators are being used as eco-friendly pots for growing a variety of vegetables on the ‘rooftop garden’ of Sayyed Madani Urdu Higher Primary School. The produce contributes significantly to mid day meals prepared in the school.

Garbage to gold: Shillong women’s group shows the way

November 15, 2019 Linda Chhakchhuak

Ambitious, big-money plans remain on paper, but a women’s self help group comprised of waste pickers-turned-recyclers could help the hill station solve its ugly waste crisis.

How 5000 school kids in Dehradun helped put 550 kilos of plastic waste where it belongs

October 25, 2019 Rishabh Shrivastava

Dehradun Smart City Limited’s innovative and community-centric initiative titled “Plastic Wapsi Abhiyaan” involved almost 20 government schools, engaging more than 5000 students and 100 teachers. Here’s how they did it.

Fani aftermath: Civil society groups play key role in cyclone-ravaged Bhubaneswar

May 16, 2019 Basudev Mahapatra

While government disaster response teams focus on roads, electricity and other infrastructure, local community groups and volunteers try to mobilise residents to participate in the relief work being done in their localities, and especially the low income settlements.

What Bengaluru’s scientific waste management can teach the Swachh Bharat mission

May 6, 2019 Jude Weston

While the Government of India has time and again emphasised the importance of cleanliness, Bengaluru has kept up the spirit of swachhata with a number of initiatives. See how an innovative waste collection station, plastic tiles and a compost school are reimagining waste management in the city.

Delhi loves its Mohalla Clinics, but can they really improve public healthcare?

March 25, 2019 Vishwas

The Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinics, which aimed to take free primary health care to every neighbourhood, is a great hit among the people. But with just 189 operationalised in close to four years, can they prove to be a gamechanger where affordable public healthcare is concerned?

Can water ATMs ease the daily struggle of the poor in Bhubaneswar?

March 23, 2019 Basudev Mahapatra

Water ATMs now provide around 2.9 lakh litres of safe, affordable water every month to residents of 40 slums in Bhubaneswar. But in a city which has 400 plus slums and where the total demand for water is estimated to hit 143 million litres a day in 2019, can this really be a significant game-changer?