Anna Hazare
Ralegan Village Re-Greening – India
Kisan Baburao “Anna” Hazare is a social activist who has led movements to promote rural development, increase government transparency, and investigates and punish corruption in public life. He has been a main, major, active contributor and organizer in the development and structuring of Ralegan Siddhi, an “ideal community model” village in Parner Taluka of the Ahmednagar district, in Maharashtra, India. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan—the third-highest available civilian award—by the Government of India in 1992 for his efforts in establishing this village as a model for others. Under Hazare’s leadership, Ralegan Siddhi has accomplished a complete reversal from destitution and poverty to full sustainability, by several environmentally stable means. Examples include digging canals to retain rainwater, tree planting, and terracing to reduce soil erosion. For power, they utilize solar power, bio-gas, and a windmill.
Although before the project was in full swing most of the villagers owned some of the land, cultivation was then extremely difficult due to the rocky ground preventing retention of the monsoon rains. The entire farming situation was worsened by gradual environmental deterioration as trees were cut down, erosion spread and droughts were also experienced on a regular basis. The shortage of water also led to disease from unsanitary conditions and water reuse for multiple purposes. In general, the economy of the village had become reliant on the illegal manufacture and sale of alcohol, a product on which many of the villagers had become dependent. Meanwhile, many inhabitants borrowed from private lenders to survive, paying monthly interest rates of as much as 10%. Crime and violence (including domestic violence) had become commonplace, while education and employment opportunities were poor.
In addition to organizing and encouraging grassroots movements, Hazare frequently conducted hunger strikes to further his causes—a tactic reminiscent, to many, of the work of Mahatma Gandhi. Even now, Hazare is active in his hunger strikes. In 2022, he decided to fast until the Maharashtra government’s policy ends the sale of wine at walk-in stores and supermarkets, remarking that “wine is not the culture of our state… the (common) sale of liquor will destroy our culture.”
Ralegan Siddhi is located in the foothills, so Hazare persuaded villagers to construct a watershed embankment and associated works to stop water and allow it to percolate and increase the ground water level and improve irrigation in the area. These efforts solved the problem of water scarcity in the village and made irrigation possible. Cultivation of water-intensive crops like sugarcane was banned. Crops such as pulses, oilseeds, and certain cash crops with low water requirements replaced them. The farmers started growing high-yield varieties and changed cropping patterns. Hazare has helped farmers of more than 70 villages in drought-prone regions in the state of Maharashtra since 1975. When Hazare came to Ralegan Siddhi in 1975 only 70 acres (28 ha) of land was irrigated, Hazare converted it into about 2,500 acres.
“How can the government stop anyone from protesting? The land is not their ‘father’s property’. The citizens are the masters of this country and the ministers are their servants.“
Books: Adarsh Gaon Yojana: … Ideal Village Project, My Village – My Sacred Land, Ralegaon Siddhi: A Veritable Transformation
Video 1: GERF Presentation
Video 2: In Action – News Piece
Video 3: Documentary
