Agriculture suffers in India in spite of the fact that a vast majority of Indians depend on it. Government interventions in terms of minimum support prices, farmers’ markets as well as technology interventions like mobile-based update on weather and soil quality have resulted only in piecemeal success, if any, in improving the farmer’s income. When [...]

Ayyappa Masagi is the Founder of Water Literacy Foundation, a non-government organization that works to improve awareness on water conservation and to ensure effective utilization of available water for household, industrial or agricultural purposes by deploying various ingeniously developed techniques of water harvesting, bore well-recharging and irrigation. ThinkChange India caught up with him for a [...]

Ashoka Green Plan-It Unconference, aimed at mobilizing the youth towards environment-friendly initiative and lifestyle in their campuses and outside was held at the beautiful campus of SAP Labs India campus. ThinkChange India covered the two-day event live attended by between 300 to 400 people from different background – students as young as 12 and teachers [...]

Sanitation Solutions covered by ThinkChange India earlier, has won a coveted third place and the People Choice award in the 2011 edition of Dell Social Innovation competition. The result is updated in the competitions official website. TakaTaka solutions working on waste management in Kenya and Malo Traders working on health in Mali have taken the [...]

For the first time in the five-year history of Dell’s Social Innovation competition, a team from India has made it to the finals in the 2011 edition. The team going by the name SIFE SSCBS from Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, University of Delhi has fielded their project “Sanitation Solutions” that  empowers  women from [...]

Gujarat government has launched an e-governance pilot initiative called ‘Gujarat Swarnim Gram E-Broadcast Project’ in the villages of Amreli.  Under this project dubbed as “the first experiment of mass communication on village level throughout the nation”(Business Standard), the government plans to disseminate information useful to rural livelihood by erecting large LED screens in public places. [...]

Azim Premji University is set to launch its three full-time Masters program in Education and Social Development sector. All the three courses currently offered would be ideal for Bachelors degree holders with interest in social change more specifically in elementary and secondary school education as well as social equality and development. Below is a summary [...]

Azim Premji University (APU), a visionary venture into the field of Education and Social Development is set to commence operations starting July 2011. The university is set up with an aim for “actively connecting the world of higher education to the betterment of the lives of the disadvantaged in India.“ [Azim Premji University Website]. Two [...]

An article in The Hindu highlighted a real-life “Swades” story. Rikin Gandhi, a Master’s degree holder in Aeronautical and Astronomical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, set to take up a job in space programme instead changed his mind, came back to India and started an NGO to help rural farmers. Digital Green produces and [...]

ThinkChange reported the announcement of EdelGive Social Innovation Honours for 2011. The application deadline for this award has been extended to November 12th, 2010. Here is a quick recap of the details relating to this award Award categories: Health and well being: Awarding an innovation which promotes women’s health and overall well-being Education: Awarding an [...]