26th April, 2022: SwitchON Foundation, on the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day organized a special awareness drive through its existing SEWA network working in 4 states, 28 districts of the country.
The drive was conducted along with the respective State Nodal Agencies, involving different village panchayats of the states. Sustainable-Energy-Water-Agriculture (SEWA) network is an initiative by the foundation to promote and bridge the existing knowledge gaps among marginal farmers in the key agro states of the country.
As seasonal temperature rises and vital agricultural resources become scarce.The special drive conducted by SwitchON along with its partner NGOs is targeted among marginal farmers of the states, promoting climate resilient smart agriculture practices of solar water pump and micro irrigation.
The National Panchayati Raj Day is celebrated each year to commemorate the Panchayati Raj Systems in India (73rd amendment). The day was first celebrated in April 2010 to mark the decentralization of power making it one of the most significant events in Indian history. The Indian Constitution recognises panchayats as a system of self-governance, wherein, the panchayats are responsible for delivering justice and ensuring the development of their villages.
Vinay Jaju MD SwitchON Foundation said “This occasion provides an excellent opportunity for direct dialogue with Panchayat representatives of villages, particularly to understand the impact of important govt programmes like the PM KUSUM Scheme and various other schemes introduced by the Government. He further added “ this will further help address the issues faced by the farming community, beside helping depts generate new data for better review and implementation of policies thus enabling sustainable development across the region”.
“There is a need to recognise and localize SDGs at Panchayat level, which presents a viable opportunity for holistic development across villages.”
Some of the key activities carried out during the drive along with special gram sabha sessions included; Panchayat & Block level meetings, Exposure visit to solar pump & micro irrigation sites, Training & workshop on solar pump & micro irrigation, and individual farmers meetings. The events saw active participation from the farmers in each block and was also attended by key block level and district level authorities.
0 
0 
