The curtains fell on the Lok Sabha election polling yesterday, and we are now into the final cycle of the exit polls. The 2024 election has revolved around Modi’s guarantee, as the opposition has struggled to present substantial issues for debate. Among the many who stand to gain from these guarantees, it is undoubtedly the women who have benefitted the most. From the PM Awas Yojana to Ujjwala, from tap water connections to electrification and direct benefit transfers, it is the women whose lives have been transformed the most profoundly. It is the women who remain at home, who cook the meals, and who line up under the scorching sun to fetch water.
This government is renowned for its women-centric welfare schemes, varying from state to state. Yet, many overlook the significance of providing tap water connections to households as a pivotal women-centric initiative. With Delhi grappling with a severe water crisis, one can only see hundreds of women standing in long queues with gallons and buckets under the relentless 50-degree Celsius heat and not the men.
During the ground visits for the Lok Sabha polls, Organiser reached a village called Shivhar in Uttar Pradesh’s Mahoba district. This village lies in the arid Bundelkhand region, historically plagued by water scarcity. However, a central government scheme, augmented by state support, has completely transformed not only the village but the lives of its women.
Travelling by cab from Banda district to Charkari block in Mahoba, a well-paved road leads to Shivhar. Along the way, numerous small settlements display slogans promoting water conservation. At the entrance to the village stands a government school. As the correspondent stopped by, she observed female students drinking water from the school taps. It was recess time, and some teachers approached the correspondent, eager to share their story. They joyfully explained that there is no water shortage in their village; every household has a tap water connection. Water flows twice daily, in the morning and the evening.
According to government data accessed by Organiser, out of 132,710 houses in Mahoba, an astounding 132,207 houses have tap water connections, making the village 99.62 per cent water-sufficient. This transformation is a testament to how impactful and life-changing these initiatives have been, especially for the women who now live in dignity and ease, free from the burden of water scarcity.
From the school, the correspondent walked into the village, which looked like a modern settlement with pucca houses, concrete roads, and electricity. Sitting outside her house, Babita Yadav eagerly showed the tap to the correspondent. With a joyful smile, she shared, “I no longer need to stand in line for water under the burning sun; it comes directly to my home.”
She turned on the tap, and water began to flow. It was installed in her washroom. She quickly filled a bucket and offered a glass of clear, filtered water to the correspondent. “Drinking brackish water is a thing of the past. Now I have a gas connection, a water connection, and a washroom in my house. All of this because of Modi. I will vote for him only,” she declared.
The village, with its 181 houses, all boasts tap water connections. Deepshika Nigam, another resident, was busy with household chores as water flowed from a piped opening directly from the water line. Buckets and tubs were filled, and she offered a seat to the correspondent and nearby families gathered around.
They began sharing how their lives had been transformed over the past ten years, especially praising the state’s Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, for his exemplary work. Prem Singh, an elderly resident, recalled how during summers the water level would drop, and they used to fetch water from a handpump outside the colony or from wells.
Outside Deepshika’s house were two abandoned, empty wells. Now, all their water needs—from drinking to washing and bathing—are fulfilled by tap water.
Almost every kilometre in the village, handpumps stand as relics of the past. When asked if they still get used, the villagers said only for bathing and for cattle, as the water is brackish and has a rustic taste. These handpumps often ran dry during summers, leaving the villagers to rush to the nearby pond for water.
A water treatment plant has been installed near the village pond, ensuring clean water for the residents. As the correspondent talked with the villagers about their transformed lives, the schoolgirls she met earlier returned. Initially hesitant, the girls grew more comfortable as the correspondent spent time in the village, meeting almost every resident. They soon followed her, leading her to several households.
One of the girls, Sourabhi Singh, shared, “Before taps came to the village, we used to go to the school or the hand pump outside the village for water. My elder sisters dropped out of school because of this problem. She used to help my mother with household chores, leaving the studies behind.”
She demonstrated how their grandparents used to fetch water from the well, carrying it home on their heads. “Now there is ample water, whether at school or in the village,” she said with a smile and that she will not have to drop out of the school.
The political landscape in Mahoba has seen various parties in power over the years, with the Janata Party, Samajwadi Party, and Bahujan Samaj Party all holding sway before the BJP’s victory in 2017. Chhote Lal Mishra became the first BJP candidate to win from Mahoba in 1991.
The elderly in the village share stories of how the name Bundelkhand came into existence. They recount that the name derives from the kings of the region, who predominantly belonged to the Bundela clan. Bundelkhand encompasses 13 districts across Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, with Mahoba being one of them.
On August 15, 2019, when the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) returned to power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the ambitious Jal Jeevan Mission, aimed at providing potable water to all Indian households, with an allocation of a staggering Rs 3.5 trillion. A new ministry, Jal Shakti, was formed by integrating the Ministry of Water Resources and the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. This ministry was tasked with collaborating with state governments to implement the mission and ensure water reaches all rural households by 2024.
Before the launch of the mission, only one-sixth of India’s nearly 19 crore households, spread across 600,000 villages, had access to clean water taps. According to government data, by August 15, 2019, an additional 3 crore (3,23,62,838) households had received tap water connections, and currently, 14 crore (14,82,59,812) households have tap water connections. The percentage of households with tap water connections has risen from 16 per cent to 76 per cent.
One year after PM Modi’s announcement, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched the ‘Har Ghar Jal’ scheme from Bundelkhand. Linked to the Jal Jeevan Mission, the scheme received an allocation of Rs 10,000 crore. The first phase targeted the Bundelkhand and Vindhya regions, aiming to benefit an estimated 14 lakh people in the districts of Mahoba, Lalitpur, and Jhansi alone.
As a result, while 46.8 per cent of the nearly 2.8 crore households in Uttar Pradesh currently have piped water, the corresponding figure for the areas covered in the first phase stands at 75 per cent. Mahoba tops the list in UP, showcasing the remarkable impact of these initiatives on the region.
The change on the ground is undeniable.
Neighbours Raji Devi and Rani Bai in Shivhar village vividly recall the days nearly ten years ago when fights over water were common, even they had enmity due to water. Today, both have tap connections at their doorsteps, transforming their daily lives.
Khushbu Bai shared how her in-laws and even her husband used to migrate to different parts of the country during the summers, fearing water scarcity. With tap water now reaching every household, they no longer need to leave their homes. Initially, they hesitated to drink the tap water, thinking it was impure and directly sourced from the pond. However, various social organisations have been running awareness programs to assure villagers that the water is RO-purified.
Praveen Singh, founder of the Bundelkhand Youth Foundation, explained that his team frequently visits villages where the scheme has been implemented to demonstrate that tap water is safe for consumption. He acknowledged that some villagers are suspicious of the taste of reverse osmosis (RO) water, finding it different from groundwater, which raises concerns.
The girls, Sourabhi and others, took the correspondent to Anusuiya Bai’s home, where she had filled multiple utensils with tap water. One of the girls drank from the same tap as Anusuiya reminisced about carrying heavy vessels on her head in the past. Now, she can easily fill them while sitting in her veranda.
As the correspondent moved through the village, meeting other residents, the girls accompanied her, taking her to their school, where they began playing with the water. They danced and splashed in the water under the scorching sun.
Sourabhi mentioned how they used to get a small bucket of water for bathing, and their mothers would scold them if they used even a mug extra. Now, they can play in the water, bathe any time of the day, and no longer worry about where the water will come from.
As the Election Commission rolled out the data for the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, a striking revelation emerged: twelve states in the country now have more women voters than men. With 47.1 crore registered female voters, their voices have become a formidable force in determining election outcomes.
This surge in female voter registration can be traced back to the long-term impact of various schemes introduced by the central government, transforming the lives of women across the nation. These schemes have roots in the efforts of state governments as well.
Take, for instance, Madhya Pradesh, where former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan dedicated himself to improving the status of women in the state. Chouhan introduced numerous schemes targeting women, covering every stage of their lives—from the Ladli Lakshmi scheme for girls to the Medhavi Chhatra, Ladli Behna, and elderly pension schemes. These initiatives provided essential benefits at every step, from birth to old age.
When the state assembly elections approached, many psephologists and political pundits predicted a Congress victory, citing an anti-incumbency wave against Chouhan. However, the results defied these predictions, marking an astounding revival for Chouhan and the BJP. The cornerstone of this victory was their unwavering commitment to women’s welfare.
During political coverage for Lok Sabha polls, the Organiser visited various states and villages in Madhya Pradesh, such as Shivpuri, where people benefitted from pucca houses, gas connections, water connections, and electricity under the PM-JANMAN scheme. Speaking with Organiser, one beneficiary, Mamta Adivasi, declared, “I will vote for Modi as long as I am alive. He gave me things I had never even dreamed of. I and people from the janjati samaj have lived in forests and makeshift houses all our lives, even in my dreams, I had not thought of having a pucca house,” she added.
Another beneficiary in Kubdi village of Chhindwara district, Sati Bharti, benefitted with PM Awas-Gramin shared, “Had it not been for the Modi government, my dream of living in a pucca house would have turned to ashes with me.”
This is the sentiment among women. They do not engage in caste and religious politics, making them a unique and influential category of voters known as the ‘Labharthi Varg.’ This group votes for those who genuinely benefit them, transcending caste and religious lines.
Through schemes like Ujjwala, Har Ghar Jal, and PM Awas, the government is not just offering freebies; they are transforming lives and turning beneficiaries into loyal voters who will not be swayed by short-term incentives. These women remember the days when they had to queue for water, endure sleepless nights due to lack of electricity, or fill their lungs with smoke in the absence of a gas cylinder.
In this election, it is indeed the women who have shaped the narrative silently, standing in stark contrast to the men debating in tea stalls. Their steadfast support and unwavering loyalty are set to redefine the political landscape of India.
Comments