The study is conducted in two states with different geographic, public health, and socioeconomic characteristics, together spanning a range of conditions in rural India: Maharashtra and Orissa. The secondary objectives of the study were to develop proxy indicators for routine monitoring of the...

This report demonstrates that financial cooperatives can be sustainable providers of financial services in rural areas and development assistance needs to consider supporting them as a means to enhance access to rural finance. It does not suggest that financial cooperatives are the only...

This document intends to facilitate further discussion of the necessary steps to implement and institutionalize the proposed business models and to introduce the necessary policy and regulatory changes. The remainder of the report is presented in four chapters. Chapter two presents the options...

The objective of this study is to review panchayat finances, identify issues and make recommendations to improve the fiscal decentralization system. Using Kamataka and Kerala as case studies, this report describes the context for rural decentralization in India, summarizes the current fiscal...

This paper summarizes the findings of a study in rural load segregation for lighting rural India. The study focused on (i) analyzing differences in approach to rural feeder segregation across states, (ii) assessing the financial viability of the schemes, (iii) evaluating socio economic benefits...

The year 2012 marked the close of the Government of India's (GoI's) Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC). The program was started in 1999 to achieve universal rural sanitation coverage. Although rural sanitation coverage has increased during TSC, progress still falls short of the program goal of...

As the first output from the gender and governance in rural services project, this report presents descriptive findings and qualitative analysis of accountability mechanisms in agricultural extension and rural water supply in India, Ghana, and Ethiopia, paying specific attention to gender...