Rajgadh sweeps its way to award

Rajgadh first woke up to the sound of the broom three years ago. Then, Secretary, Gram Panchayat, M.H. Kapkar informed the village about the state’s newly-launched cleanliness campaign. The campaign was named after the late Sant Gadgebaba — a social reformer — who preached while sweeping the streets.

Inspired, Sarpanch Marakwar decided to give it a shot. He had a ready following. ‘‘Everybody started getting up at 4 am. For an hour, we would clean the entire village. Shramdaan would follow for the next three hours,’’ says Marakwar. Soon, villagers stepped in and gave the movement an impetus.

The men, of course, were ably supported by the women. ‘‘Earlier, a handful of them would attend public meetings. Today, every woman participates,’’ says Marakwar.

Plastic was out. So was littering the streets. Latrines were built, trees planted. Gradually, yellow houses began dotting the landscape — yellow because ‘‘it wasn’t peculiar to any religion’’. Soon, their efforts began paying off. In 2001-2002, Rajgadh won at the Chandrapur district level and later at the Nagpur division level in 2002-2003. The awards lent Rs 15 lakh (five at the district, 10 at the divisional level) to Rajgadh’s kitty. The money was re-invested in development activities. ‘‘But we wanted to top at the state-level. So, Gramsevak Kapkar and I toured 18 districts and videotaped the prize-winning villages,’’ Marakwar says.

Today, the village is reaping the fruits. With Rs 40 lakh under its belt now, Rajgadh is grateful but there’s one hitch. ‘‘The award norms stipulate that the money should be spent on drinking water. We need water for agriculture. We have been growing just one crop — paddy. And that, too, only once a year. It would be of great help if the norm is relaxed for us,’’ says Marakwar.