RURAL development department of IIT Delhi and Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram joined hands for strengthening the process of development in rural areas. A joint meeting of both the organisations was organised in New Delhi on January 30 to start the process in a systematic way. Kalyan Ashram workers from Assam, Orissa, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Mahakaushal, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Jammu & Kashmir participated in the meeting. The meeting was inaugurated by joint general secretary of Kalyan Ashram Shri Kripa Prasad Singh and Dr Rajendra Prasad as well as Dr SN Nayak of IIT.
Both, Dr Rajendra Prasad and Dr SN Nayak, explained the new technology available for rural development. Shri Kripa Prasad Singh elaborated on the sad condition of rural areas. He said 45000 revenue villages in Vanvasi areas do not have basic facilities and there is a dire need to initiate the efforts of development there. “Connectivity of village with road is necessary but providing light, bus and school along with drinking water is the immediate needs. When the state governments have failed to take initiatives on these fronts the social organisations and technical institutions have to do it,” he said.
Prof. SS Krishnamurti presented the model of Picco Hydle project which hardly costs Rs 1.5 lakh and can supply power to 100 houses. Two horse power pump supply of water is required for the Hydle project. If the village is situated on the bank of a small river, it could be a successful experiment. IIT can install this project for the villagers. Similarly, the experiment of using solar energy in villages has also been very successful and Government provides subsidy for it to BPL families. Shri Jagdish Joshi, an engineer from Rajasthan, who has done experiments in Banswara, Dungarpur and Udaipur districts, said the investment from Rs two to three lakh could irrigate 100 acre land for double yield.
The IIT has spared Dr Rajendra Prasad, Dr SN Nayak and Sri Ramgopal for this work while the Kalyan Ashram spared Shri Harsh Chouhan, Shri Soumen Gupta, Shri Jagdish Joshi and Shri Prakash Kamath for this project. All these workers are from engineering background and are suitable for the village development programmmes.
Now village development camps will be organised in Vanvasi villages beginning from April this year. There will be camps in Assam from April 2 to 3, Sundargarh (Orissa) from April 10 to 11, Jashpur (Chhattisgarh) from April 12 to 13, Babhani (Uttar Pradesh) from April 14 to 15. The dates of the camps in Purulia (WB) and Lohardaga (Jharkhand) will be declared later. While the camps in Karnataka, Madhya Bharat and Mahakaushal regions will be held in June.
(FOC)
