Kurukshetra’s May 2026 issue, themed “Advancing Towards Greener Growth in Rural India” (Hindi: “Harit Vikas ki Or Agrasar Gramin Bharat”), connects the climate transition to rural livelihoods: SHGs as green-action agents, carbon markets as a new farm income stream, community water management under panchayats, and the four Labour Codes as the worker-welfare floor beneath it all.
Articles in This Issue
- Nurturing Young Minds for India’s Future - environmental education through NEP 2020 and NAPCC framing
- Empowering SHGs for Green Action - 13.4 million+ SHGs and 9 lakh+ Community Resource Persons as the delivery cadre
- Green Growth in Villages: Turning Policies into Realities - PM-KUSUM, Jal Jeevan Mission and GPDP convergence; Sikkim’s organic model
- Harnessing Carbon Markets for Farmer’s Prosperity - voluntary carbon markets, climate-smart rice, agroforestry credits
- Community-led Water Management - panchayat-led water institutions, Mission Amrit Sarovar, the groundwater-energy nexus
- India’s Comprehensive Empowerment Model for Workers - the four Labour Codes and gig-worker social security
Key Concepts
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| VCM | Voluntary Carbon Market; 1 credit = 1 tonne CO2 equivalent removed or avoided |
| DSR | Direct Seeded Rice; methane-cutting, water-saving rice technique |
| AWD | Alternate Wetting and Drying; irrigation method cutting methane in paddy |
| Green Credit Programme | Credits for positive environmental actions like plantation on degraded land |
| Mission Amrit Sarovar | Pond rejuvenation mission, ~70,000 ponds |
| GPDP | Gram Panchayat Development Plan, the village planning instrument |
| DAY-NRLM | Rural livelihoods mission under which SHGs operate |
| PMVBRY | PM Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (2025); Rs 1 lakh crore employment-linked incentives |
UPSC GS Relevance
- GS3: climate-smart agriculture, carbon markets, renewable energy in villages, water resources
- GS2: panchayati raj (Eleventh Schedule subjects), welfare architecture for workers, SHG-state partnership
