Environment & Rural Development
Farmer Beats Drought through Micro-Irrigation: Source New Indian Express
KARIMNAGAR: A small farmer of Eedula Gattipalli in Manakondur mandal is setting an ideal to others by cultivating irrigated dry (ID) crops through micro-irrigation.
The farmer, Madishetti Ravi, cultivated cabbage in his 47 guntas (5,640 yards) of land and he obtained an yield of 16 tonnes despite the drought conditions and power problems. Speaking to this paper, Ravi said that he used go get only 11 tonnes of cabbage before switching to drip irrigation. “But after I began using modern irrigation method as advised by the agriculture officials, my expenditure on power and fertilisers has come down,” he said. “I invested `25,000 in cultivating the crop and after meeting all expenses, there is a profit of `62,000,” he revealed. Knowing about the profits, other farmers in the village are thronging Ravi’s fields to know about the benefits of micro-irrigation. In the wake of the drought conditions, officials had decided to bring 4,000 hectares of land under drip irrigation in the district and 70 per cent of the target has been achieved so far,” said microirrigation project director Sangeeta Laxmi.
“Farmers are cultivating groundnuts, leafy vegetables, cotton, chilli, mango, banana and papaya through drip systems and cutting down expenditure on power and fertilisers.” “To encourage farmers adopt the modern farming techniques, the government is giving 100 per cent subsidy on drip, sprinkler irrigation equipment to SCs and STs, 90 per cent subsidy to small and medium farmers,” Sangeeta Laxmi added and urged farmers interested in adopting the modern irrigation methods to consult the micro-irrigation project office in the district headquarters
BOGI – . This is the name of a mid January Hindu festival observed in the northern districts of Tamilnadu & Andhra Pradesh, Bharat. It falls on the day prior to the Makara Sankranti (Pongal festival). On Bogi day, people heap old and useless household articles on the public throughfare and burn them. This acts as a preparation to welcome a cleaner dawn on Sankranti. This tradition went astray. Old tyres came to be burnt replacing harmless organic waste. Pollution resulted. While motivated groups, using an ever-ready media, kept flooding Hindu society with their harangues on ecology, there was at least one concerned individual: Shri. K.Narayana Rao, a staunch Hindu activist, bent upon putting an end to harmful fumes on Bogi day as well as the indirect attempt to chuck out a healthy tradition. Accordingly, he organized Bogi at the school of which he is Secretary. On this year’s Bogi, the school, Sita Devi Garodia Hindu Vidyalaya, East Tambaram, on the outskirts of Chennai Metro, set a novel but noble convention. Each one of the children, parents and teachers picked a dry leaf of ARASU (pipal) tree and on that they scribbled an evil trait they wish to destroy. Coming in queue, each consigned the leaf to the fire in the Homa Kundam arranged for the occasion inside the school premises. Based on a report in the children’s supplement of Tamil daily DINAMANI, on 22nd February, 2003.
ONE CRORE TREES –
He planted one crore trees
Ramaiah’s daughter came back from school with headache one day. The school had no trees and so no shade for children to play. The hot sun had caused her headache. Then and there, Ramaiah resolved to plant one crore (yes,1 followed by 7 zeros) trees in his lifetime. In right earnest, he set out on his bicycle loaded with bags full of saplings. He went to each and every school in his Kammam district, Andhra Pradesh, Bharat. He related the value of each sapling to the school kids and exhorted them to take personal interest in planting, watering and guarding it. They responded in a big way. Soon the number of trees planted by Ramaiah’s unsparing efforts swelled into lakhs. The district authorities took note, and he was co-opted into the government body monitoring afforestation in the area.
NOVEL WAY OF PONGAL CELEBRATIONS – Dharmapuri, (VSK) — Jan 2008
RSS Swayamsevaks of Kurinjipuram village in Dharmapuri district (Tamilnadu) celebrated the Makar Sankranti (Pongal) this year in a novel way. They gathered the youngsters of the village and explained to them the harm done to human beings and the cattle by plastic bags and other wastes. It was rightly understood by the villagers and they immediately swung into action. With the guidance and support of RSS Swayamsevaks numbering 21, the entire village was completly rid of plastic waste. The celebration of Sankranthi thus got tuned to a neighbourhood cause. A couple of villages nearby quickly followed the example and became plastic-free.
A GARDEN FROM SOILED WATER:
This took place in a village in Veraval region of Saurashtra. A unique experiment by a teacher of the school for growing trees. Since that it is a water scarce area, it was impossible to get water for trees. The teacher therefore asked the students to bring soiled water left out after washing of utensils at home. Each student would carry a bottle of soiled water from home daily. The students were then asked to water the plants with the soiled water. As days passed, the students and school officials had a lush green garden before themselves! Thus a teacher’ s small initiative created a green island in a dry and barren area, that too with waste water. In the process, he also taught the kids to make friends with Mother Nature.
Source : http://narendramodi.com/post/A-Daughter-A-Tree-and-A-Teacher.aspx#comment
Arise Bharat 