Conserving Water : Jai Vigyan and Jai Anusandhan and Jai Kisan

My dear countrymen, we all must have heard a saying many times, must have heard it over and over again – without water everything is a void. Without water life is always in a crisis… the development of the individual and the country also comes to a standstill. Looking at this future challenge, today 75 Amrit Sarovars are being constructed in every district of the country.

Our Amrit Sarovars are special because they are being built in the Azadi Ka Amrit Kal and the essence of the effort of the people has been put in them. You will be pleased to know that till now more than 50 thousand Amrit Sarovars have been constructed. This is a giant step towards water conservation.

Friends, we keep talking about the challenges related to water every summer. This time also we will take up this topic, but this time we will discuss the start-ups related to water conservation. There is a Start-Up – Fluxgen. This Start-Up provides water management options through I.O.T enabled technologies. This technology will tell us about the patterns of water usage and will help in effective use of water.

Another startup is LivNSense. This is a platform based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. With its help, effective monitoring of water distribution can be done. From this it will also be ascertained where and how much water is being wasted.

Another Start-Up is ‘KumbhiKagaz’. This KumbhiKagaz is a topic, I am sure you will like very much. KumbhiKagaz Start-Up has embarked upon a special task. They are working on making paper from water hyacinth, that is, water hyacinth, which was once considered a problem for water sources, is now being used to make paper.

Friends, if many youths are working through innovation and technology, there are many youths who are also engaged in the mission of making the society aware, like the youth of Balod district in Chhattisgarh. The youth here have started a campaign to save water. They go door-to-door to make people aware of water conservation. If there is an event like marriage somewhere, this group of youth goes there and gives information about how misuse of water can be stopped.

An inspiring effort related to the efficient use of water is also being undertaken in Khunti district of Jharkhand. People in Khunti have found a way out of the water crisis through check dams. Due to accumulation of water from the check dams, greens and vegetables have also started growing here. On account of this the income of the people is also increasing, and the needs of the region are also being fulfilled. Khunti has become a fascinating example of how any public participation effort brings with it many changes. I congratulate the people there for this endeavour.

My dear countrymen, during the 1965 war, our former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri had given the slogan of Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan. Later, Atal ji had also added Jai Vigyan to it. A few years ago, while talking to the scientists of the country, I talked about Jai Anusandhan.

In ‘Mann Ki Baat’, today’s reference is about such a person, about such an organization, which is a reflection of all these four, Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan and Jai Anusandhan. This is a gentleman, Shriman Shivaji Shamrao Dole from Maharashtra. Shivaji Dole hails from a small village in Nashik district. He comes from a poor tribal farmer family, and is also an ex-serviceman. While in the army, he dedicated his life to the country. After retirement, he decided to learn something new and did a Diploma in Agriculture, that is, he moved towards Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan. Now every moment, he strives to ensure how to contribute maximum in the agriculture sector.

In this campaign, Shivaji Dole ji formed a small team of 20 people and added some ex-servicemen to it. After this his team took over the management of a co-operative organization named Venkateshwara Co-Operative Power & Agro Processing Limited. This co-operative organization was lying dormant, which he took up the challenge of reviving.

Today Venkateshwara Co-Operative has expanded to many districts in no time. Today this team is working in Maharashtra and Karnataka. About 18,000 people are associated with it, in which a large number of our Ex-Servicemen are also there. The members of this team are doing Agro Farming in more than 500 acres of land in Malegaon, Nashik.

This team is also engaged in building many ponds for water conservation. The special thing is that they have also started Organic Farming and Dairy. Now grapes grown there are being exported to Europe as well. The two great features of this team, which attracted my attention, are these – Jai Vigyan and Jai Anusandhan. Its members are making maximum use of technology and Modern Agro Practices.

The second feature is that they are also focusing on various certifications required for exports. I appreciate this team working with the spirit of ‘prosperity through cooperation’. This effort has not only empowered a large number of people, but has also created many means of livelihood. I hope this effort inspires every listener of ‘Mann Ki Baat’.

(Excerpts from Prime Minister’s 101st Episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on 28.05.2023)