In 2012, the Ministry of Rural Development launched the Prime Minister’s Rural Development Fellowship (PMRDF). In this path-breaking initiative, young graduates from a variety of educational backgrounds—doctors, lawyers, engineers—were sent to some of India’s most backward and conflict-affected districts in a two-pronged approach: harness the energy of the youth by connecting them to hands-on, grassroots public service; and provide professional support at the ‘last mile’ of service delivery. Volume II brings together case studies of the initiatives undertaken by the PMRDFs in a wide range of districts, from central India, Jammu and Kashmir, and the Northeast, all areas that are affected by conflict and what is termed Left-wing Extremism. These initiatives focused on the fields of education, livelihoods, human rights, and participatory democracy. They also provide insights into the practical implementation issues faced at the local level, as well as evidence-based policy analyses of national flagship programmes. The case studies, all accounts from the field, emphasise people’s participation and horizontal coordination across departments of local governments, important in light of the commitment of the Government of India and state governments to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The role of the PMRDF as a catalyst in accelerating development and ensuring sustainable livelihoods in conflict-affected districts has important implications for development policy advocacy not only in India, but also across the developing world. Contents: Abbreviations Tables, Figures, and Boxes Preface Acknowledgements 1. Catalysing Development in India’s Conflict-affected Districts K. SEETA PRABHU, S. PARASURAMAN, AND ANANYA CHAKRABORTY PART I ENSURING HUMAN RIGHTS 2. Righting the Narrative PMRDFs in Actualising a Human Rights-Based Approach to Development IPSITA SAPRA 3. Gender Mainstreaming in Agriculture An Initiative in Surguja, Chhattisgarh DIVYA GUPTA 4. Contextualising Gender and Agriculture in the Tribal Setting of Surguja Women in Distress ARPIT ASTHANA 5. Negotiated Terrains—Geographical and Institutional A Unified Response to Malnutrition-related Infant Deaths in Nagada, Odisha PRASAD R. BHAT PART II PROMOTING PEOPLE’S PARTICIPATION 6. Democracy and Participatory Development P. KARUNAKAR AND M. SAHU 7. Vote Ki Azadi A Systematic Voter Education and Electoral Participation Campaign in Bandipora, Jammu and Kashmir SADASHIV NAYANPALLY 8. Yojana Banao Abhiyan The Case of People’s Participation in Planning in Chatra District of Jharkhand TABISH AZEEM 9. Rejuvenating Rural Sanitation in Sitamarhi, Bihar NITIN KUMAR PART III SECURING SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS 10. Collective Action for Livelihood Augmentation in 181India’s Remotest Districts SAGAR KISAN WADKAR AND ASHISH KUMAR DAS 11. Formation of Naga Farmer Producer Company Limited RANSOM LUNGLENG 12. Sustainable Livelihood for Small and Marginal 215Farmers in Mizoram P. THANGSUANHAU 13. Community-led Livelihoods Promotion A Case Study for Walnuts in Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir ARUN SHARMA 14. Creating Market Linkages for Millets Produced in Tribal Regions of Kabirdham, Chhattisgarh ROHAN S. KATEPALLEWAR PART IV INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR IMPROVED OUTCOMES 15. Grassroots-Level Innovations in Education and Skill Development ANUPAM SARKAR AND PEBAM NGANTHOIBA MANGANG 16. The Bastar Science Experiment NIKHILESH HARI 17. Deploying Educational Technology for Teaching, Learning, and Training in Resource-poor Vernacular-medium Schools VIJAY SIDDHARTH PILLAI 18. Skilling An Innovative Approach to Youth Empowerment in Koderma, Jharkhand PRASHANTH S. CHINNAPPANAVAR 19. The Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) International Internship in School Education, Kashmir VAIBHAV JINDAL 20. ‘Teach For Hailakandi’ Project CHIHANRING KASHUNG 21. Catalysing Development Lessons from PMRDF K. SEETA PRABHU AND S. PARASURAMAN Notes on the Contributors