The experience of the last 22 years, starting from Ralegan Siddhi and Sukhomajri, shows that regeneration of a highly degraded village, ecologically and economically, takes more than 10 years. The

Drought-proofing is a far cry. The drought of 2001 in 11 states of India is likely to go down as one of the worst in the past century. Government drought relief schemes fail due to bad planning and corruption. It can"t even provide short-term relief to th

The government’s drought relief programmes are bound to fail in the long run. Even the Planning Commission acknowledges that funds for the drought relief is becoming illegal income for officials, politicians and contractors

Employment Guarantee Scheme, first of its kind drought relief scheme has had no impact on the drought-prone areas of Maharashtra in almost 30 years because it has failed to involve people in managing rural assets

Revisits by Down To Earth reporters to villages that undertook water harvesting offer some valuable lessons in drought management