Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh has the largest tribal population of the country, and 21% of its population is comprised of Scheduled Tribes (STs) as per Census 2011. The state has 46 recognised Scheduled Tribes, spread across the 52 districts in the state. Of this, three are Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG).

Groundwater extraction increased from 58 percent in 2004 to 63 percent in 2017: CAG

Bundelkhand, a geographical and cultural region in north-central India covering parts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh is one of the hotspots of poverty and malnutrition.

Roughly 85 percent of the farm households in India are small or marginal farmers, that is, they have less than 2 hectares of land, with 70 percent having less than 1 hectare of land. The average landholding is only 0.5 hectares per household (NSO, 2021).

The village of Urdali is a predominantly rain-fed area, belonging to the Deelwara Gram Panchayat, in Bichhiya Block, Mandla District, Madhya Pradesh.

The most important precondition to make farming profitable for small and marginal tribal farmers residing in undulating terrains

The total area under tanks and ponds in India is over 2.9 million hectares (Ministry of Jal Shakti, 2017).

150 years ago, no government system anywhere in the world was responsible for water supply.

Agriculture in India directly or indirectly provides livelihoods to 60% of the population and so the problems of this sector are most relevant for the country’s overall development and have to be effectively addressed.

In June 2021, UNDP felicitated 41 Women Water Champions for their rema