-Ashwani Mishra-
Barkhedi Abdullah Village Panchayat in Hujur Tehsil of Bhopal is emerging as an ideal Panchayat thanks to the efforts of young and dynamic Sarpanch Bhakti Sharma who returned from the US to give a boost to development. The Panchayat, just 16 km from State capital Bhopal having population of 4,100, is setting new milestones of development with active public participation. Bhakti was elected Sarpanch about one year back and within this short span she has taken many initiatives worth emulating by other Panchayats.
Bhakti says, “During elections the women told me to do something, which would enhances the pride of women in the village. Therefore, now I am trying to materialise those aspirations of the women. The village school has been upgraded up to secondary level. Since there is acute water problem in the village, a overhead water tank has been built with the cost of Rs 73 lakh so that everybody can have drinking water.
About 99 per cent families in the village have bank accounts. Over a dozen unemployed youth have started their own business by getting loan from the banks.
A Bank Chaupal is frequently organised in the village for this objective. More than 100 houses now have toilets and by the end of this year all families will have toilets.
Weekly health camps are being organised in association with some hospitals and voluntary organisations. This has helped in detecting and curing the ailments in time.”
In order to ensure good education and bringing up of girl children, Bhakti has started donating her two months honorarium to the family where any girl is born. “Such minor things are very meaningful for the people of a village. When they get this money they feel very satisfied. I have so far provided this amount to about a dozen families,” she says.
Since electricity supply is a major problem in the village, Bhakti is now working to install solar street lights in the village. Equally efforts are on to start computer centre and TV projectors with the help of solar panels. Two check dams and ponds are also to be dug to store rain water. Saplings are also to be planted at the Panchayat land by the end of this year. The major thing is that people of the village join hands in all the developmental activities.
Barkhedi Abdullah, Bhopal
Location: 16 km from Bhopal
Population: 4,100
Major Initiatives:
* Weekly health camp
* 99 per cent families have bank accounts
* All houses to have toilets by the end of this year
* Over a dozen young entrepreneurs have started their own business
n Donation of two months honorarium to a family where a girl is born
