A B O U T R R P
WHO WE ARE
We are a group of undergraduate students from St. Stephen’s College who realised that there is very limited scope for rural engagement within urban university spaces. This Programme has been initiated and led by students who are pursuing a range of disciplines at all three years of study within this college. Considerable support and mentorship has been provided by faculty members and experts within this field of work and research.
WHAT WE DO
Our primary area of work is to understand some of the issues which are being faced by the rural population of India by conducting appropriate surveys. In 2019, some of our members gathered data from sites across India in Punjab, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana while the remaining members of the team worked to analyse and present results. The topical emphasis of these studies ranged from the causes and impact of farmer suicides to the status of women in different spheres of life, an examination of vulnerability to climate change and an exploration of the Rythu Bandhu scheme. This Programme also aims to build capacity for such research to be conducted at the undergraduate level by organising workshops to develop the necessary qualitative and quantitative skills; and also by inviting speakers to deliver lectures on agrarian themes.
OUR VISION
Issues within rural India, when they are brought up at all within the environment of an elite college in New Delhi, are divested of their relevance and reduced to statistical evidence to confirm predetermined hypotheses. The objective of the Rural Research Programme is to bridge the gap in awareness among urban students by creating opportunities for participating in the discourse surrounding rural and agrarian affairs through systematic research.
By gaining some first hand exposure to experiences within rural areas of India, members of the student community can make efforts towards sustained engagement with issues which demand attention and necessitate the involvement of all sections of society.