Dhondaarjuni village pledges cleanliness and de-addiction drive under Seva Sankalp campaign
A traditional gram sabha in Dhondaarjuni village of Jiwati tehsil passed unanimous resolutions for cleanliness, de-addiction and PESA Act implementation.
Villagers in Dhondaarjuni (Gondaguda) village of Jiwati tehsil have come together under the Seva Sankalp campaign to launch initiatives for village cleanliness, de-addiction, village development and effective implementation of the PESA Act. A traditional gram sabha of Munda residents was held with great enthusiasm on Saturday, September 27, between 8 and 10 pm. Several important proposals for the village's development were passed unanimously at the meeting.
Apart from residents of Dhondaarjuni, large numbers of people from neighbouring villages also attended the gram sabha. Discussions covered improving village governance on the lines of Mendha Lekha village, effective implementation of the PESA Act, social reform, de-addiction, village cleanliness and increasing people's participation in village development.
The decisions taken at the gram sabha were put into action the very next morning, on September 28. Villagers gathered to clean the village roads, public spaces, surrounding areas and drains and sewage sites. Every family took part voluntarily, turning the village cleanliness drive into a mass movement. A pledge was also taken on the occasion to build a clean, beautiful and healthy village.
As per the proposal passed at the gram sabha, villagers took a collective pledge to make the village free of liquor and drugs. Lingorao Soyam, headmaster of the Zilla Parishad Primary School at Yermi-Yesapur, explained the social, economic and family harm caused by addiction as well as the benefits of de-addiction. He appealed to villagers to work together to build a de-addiction-free village.
The initiative received strong support from Dhondaarjuni sarpanch Jumnake, Agricultural Produce Market Committee chairman Namdeo Jumnake, village patil Govindrao Kannake, Jugadrao Sidam, police patil Kowe, and anganwadi and ASHA workers, along with other villagers.
Also present at the gram sabha were Jiwati Panchayat Samiti's first chairman Bhimrao Meshram, Shankar Vetti, Jangu Meshram, Lingorao Soyam, Santosh Sallam, Shitru Gedam, Dharmarao Madavi, Visheshta Kotnake, Chainrao Madavi, village patil of model village Mahapandharwani Manku Dhurve, and Isru Aade, along with dignitaries and residents from the villages of Kargaon Khurd, Asapur, Gharpana, Nagapur, Gadhpandharwani and Mahapandharwani.
