Empty, Locked Houses a Common Sight at This Drought-Hit Village

This is the third successive year of drought and over 300 farmers from Mala Mangarh village in Madhya Pradesh's Damoh district have migrated to cities. As the sowing of Rabi crop begins, empty, locked houses are a common sight in the village. 61-year-old Janak Rani owns two acres of land but the yield has been very poor in the drought years. Her three sons work as daily wagers in Mumbai and Delhi, as the income from farming is just not enough to meet the monthly expenses.