Rural India

Two in 5 overnight trips in rural India for medical care, shows data

Medical treatment accounts for 38.4% of rural overnight trips, with health journeys costing households far more than leisure travel

The missing pillar of Swachh Bharat: Citizen behaviour

A government can deploy sanitation workers, procure waste collection vehicles, and install public bins. It cannot place a cleaner behind every citizen

Rural India drives two-wheeler demand, but petrol retains 94% share

Rural India accounts for 55% of 2W registrations, but EV penetration is nearly half that in cities

Britannia, HUL, M&M: UBS picks stocks to play the rural recovery theme

Shriram Finance (up 28 per cent), Eicher Motors (up 22 per cent), Cholamandalam Financial Holdings (up 19 per cent) and M&M (up 19 per cent) have outperformed Nifty 50 this far in FY27, data shows.

Rural income gains hit two-year low, informal borrowing rises: Nabard

Nabard's latest survey shows that rural income growth has slowed to a two-year low. The findings come as rural inflation reached 5% in June, compared with 4% in urban area

Farmer-led cooperatives can drive the next phase of agricultural growth

The role of the producer- and cooperative-controlled sector may be relevant for an emerging option that could be a substantial source of income for farmers

VB-G RAM G comes into force Here's how it changes India's rural employment

After 20 years, MGNREGA has officially been replaced by VB-G RAM G (Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission – Gramin). The new rural employment law promises 125 days of guaranteed work

Rozana's rural FMCG brand Samuh hits ₹100 crore run rate in 3 months

Rozana's private-label FMCG brand Samuh is scaling rapidly through low-cost sachets, contract manufacturing and a deep rural distribution network across 21,000 villages

Faith and Fury: Why Jyoti Yadav's Covid chronicle still haunts India

Jyoti Yadav's debut book captures untold stories of migrant distress, rural suffering, and systemic gaps during India's Covid-19 crisis

Securing rural water: Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 should address existing gaps

The first phase of the mission prioritised a rapid expansion in the number of tap connections, but the durability of service remains uneven

Rozana raises ₹290 cr in Series B to scale rural retail across Bharat

Round led by Bertelsmann India Investments with participation from Fireside Ventures, Spark Growth Ventures, Bikaji Family Office, FE Securities

Rural India fuels internet use, growing 4 times at pace of urban: Report

India's total internet user base is now inching close to a billion users, with the active internet user (AIU) base at 958 million

Name changer or game changer? MGNREGA replaced with 125-day promise

President Murmu clears the Viksit Bharat Rozgar Act, raising guaranteed rural workdays to 125 and overhauling funding norms, seasonality rules, and budget limits

MGNREGA work demand dips during peak sowing and harvest time, shows data

MGNREGA data show work demand typically dipped between July and November over the past 10 years before rising from December

Centre planned to modify MGNREGA over repeated complaints: Shivraj Chouhan

Government introduces VB G-RAM-G bill in Parliament to replace MGNREGA amid strong opposition protest

Centre proposes renaming MGNREGA to VB-G RaM G, to change funding pattern

The Centre has proposed renaming MGNREGA as VB-RaM G, raising guaranteed workdays to 125 and shifting the funding pattern to 60:40, drawing criticism over diluted worker protections

Explained: Why govt wants to replace MGNREGA with VB-G RAM G after 20 years

The draft VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025 seeks to replace MNREGA to offer 125 days of rural work, focus on durable assets, improve transparency, and align employment schemes with rural economy and needs

BSE, India Post ink agreement to take mutual fund deeper into rural India

With over 164,000 post offices, India Post is expected to provide last-mile connectivity, helping push investor education and access to modern financial products

Villages now lead India's manufacturing output, urban share falls below 50%

The latest Annual Survey of Industries 2023-24 shows that it was at 49.5 per cent, the fourth year in a row that urban areas have been a minority contributor to manufacturing output

Indian firms turn to small-town markets insulated from US tariffs

Consumption growth in India's countryside has outpaced that in urban markets for six straight quarters, according to data analytics firm NielsenIQ