Meet “Santa Claus” Salim!

Meet “Santa Claus” Salim!

Christmas is time for “Santa Claus” Salim to make mega bucks.

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Newsmakers

Flood Relief – Self Help Groups Innovate To Rescue

Flood Relief – Self Help Groups Innovate To Rescue

on September 10, 2011 in Innovation, Newsmakers

There are numerous Self Help Groups working throughout West Bengal but the Kalyani Self Help Group of Mahisura village in Nabadwip stands out for what it does. Here Pramila Das, 38, lost her two-and-a-half year-old daughter in the massive flood of 2000. Since, Pramila decided to help others. She started the Kalyani Self Help Group and, after four years, was joined by many women of the village.

Sex Workers See Rosy Future In Savings

Sex Workers See Rosy Future In Savings

on September 10, 2011 in Finance, Newsmakers, Women

A small but game-changing initiative is enabling women like Mamata, Gita, Abeda and Jyotsna, who are sex workers in a red-light area of north Kolkata, to secure their financial future. Belonging to a social segment that faces tremendous difficulties in seemingly simple tasks such as opening bank accounts, Usha Cooperative Society Ltd, a support group set up exclusively for this population, promises a financial solution in the form of savings and loan products.

Latest News

Micro-Irrigation – A Boon For Small Farmers

Micro-Irrigation – A Boon For Small Farmers

on October 22, 2011 in Farming and innovation

Irrigation, the lifeline of agriculture, is often limited to farmers with deep pockets and large land holdings, leaving marginal growers with fewer economically viable options. This situation is set to change as the International Development Enterprises India (IDEI) has introduced a less expensive option of irrigation particularly for small land holdings.
Farming Tips To Reap A Bumper Potato Crop

Farming Tips To Reap A Bumper Potato Crop

on October 22, 2011 in Farming and innovation

Come winter, there are frowns on the faces of potato farmers as they fear crop loss and reduced output. Having missed the sowing time for the Kufri variety of potatoes, farmers of Hooghly district are a worried lot. On the one hand, the winter onslaught threatens harvest, on the other, the crop starts rotting soon after the seeds are sown.
Oyster Shell Handicrafts Sell Like Pearls!

Oyster Shell Handicrafts Sell Like Pearls!

on September 10, 2011 in Entrepreneurship, Innovation

Who would have thought that oyster shells collected from the seashore would fetch prices running into lakhs of rupees? People from East Medinipur and Hooghly districts of West Bengal have made use of oyster shells in handicrafts, helping them earn big.

Fighting Back – Women Against Domestic Violence

Fighting Back – Women Against Domestic Violence

on September 10, 2011 in Women

A quiet revolution is taking place in Rajarhat, on the fringes of Kolkata, where an increasing number of women, largely victims of marital abuse and domestic violence, are actively taking legal recourse rather than covering up their bruises and scars.

For These Women, It’s HIV No Bar

For These Women, It’s HIV No Bar

on September 7, 2011 in HIV/ AIDS, Women

HIV-positive people of Howrah district have broken the shackles of social stigma to lead normal, happy lives.

Ratna Das (name changed) was only 19 when she was diagnosed HIV positive. She was infected through a blood transfusion during childbirth. Though she was shattered at first, she sought the advice of physicians and NGO workers, and realized that with the right kind of treatment and precautions she could lead a normal life.