South Asia A Sustainable Socio Economic, Enviromental Model for Rural Subcontinent Area - Case Studies, Ideas, Models and initiatives.

[Lulldapull]

umma chumma is dead in de water guys. There is no such thing and never will be.

 

[Krishna with Flute]

umma chumma is dead in de water guys. There is no such thing and never will be.

Ummah is a weapon which is invoked whenever it is needed. Iran bombed Pakistan but in no time, Islamic brotherhood surfaced again. Pakistan Afghanistan were bhai bhai when Taliban captured Afghanistan but became enemy too soon. If Taliban speaks few good word for Pakistan, Islamic brotherhood will surface again. Malaysia Pakistan were Islamic brothers but Malaysia ceased Pakistani plane few months later. Ummah means convinient brotherhood.

 

[Guru Dutt]

Abe pata to hai ki vote nahi Dene Wale hai. Jamakar thoko. Salo me jitani battamiziya aur baimaniya ki hai, sab ulta kar ke nikalvao.

Inko bhi ye patta hai ki BJP inki parfah nahi karti inki issi raviyye ki wajah se to abb ye log chahtte bhi hain ki BJP ke saath jurre per ye bhee chahtte hain ki jaise so called secular parties inke sehlaati hain BJP walle bhi wo karre per BJP wo harkatte kartee nahi hain uspe se JOGI BABA time time per inko inki aukaat dikhatte rehtte hain so alag ... KIRPA YAHIN ATKI HUI HAI

 

[Krishna with Flute]

This 110 km Long River Was Left To Die, Until an IAS Officer Helped Revive It in 6 Months​

Sot River, once the lifeline of Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, lost its natural flow due to decades of encroachment. Here's how IAS Manish Bansal, along with officials and locals, revived the 110-km stretch, restoring water flow and eliminating waterlogging.
By Shivani Gupta
July 31, 2024

Roughly 50 years ago, the Sot river – a tributary of the mighty Ganges – was a lifeline for the residents of the Sambhal district in Uttar Pradesh, with farmers depending on its water for irrigating their lush green paddy and peppermint crops.

However, the river that passes through 71 gram panchayats in five development blocks disappeared from the district due to large-scale encroachment and neglect. In 2022, when the newly-appointed district magistrate IAS Manish Bansal visited the field, he found there was hardly any water in the river.

“I saw that the river was practically non-existent. We could only see small puliya (culverts) that were once made over the river. At several points, farmers had started growing crops considering it to be vacant land. The streak of the river was not completely connected,” he says.

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“At some places, the area was covered in small puddles. The river was encroached to the extent that it lost its path of natural flow downstream. Due to this, nearby areas would remain waterlogged during monsoon. Earlier, the Sot river acted as a natural drainage system for the area,” he adds.

In addition to this, the groundwater table had drastically reduced in the area as farmers became dependent on borewells, which further exacerbated the water problem in the region. “Even hand pumps, as deep as 50 feet, started becoming non-functional because of the receding water table,” says Manish.

When former district magistrate IAS Manish Bansal visited the field, he found hardly any water in the river.
That’s when the IAS officer decided to rejuvenate the river. In conversation with The Better India, he shares how the district administration revived the river to its old glory.

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The masterplan behind the river rejuvenation​

Spearheaded by Manish, the Sambhal district conducted a survey of the length of the river. The results showed that the Sot river, which appeared to be non-existent, was actually a 110 km long stretch starting from the Amroha district in the North and flowing towards Budaun in the South.

Firstly, the administration conducted a survey to understand the natural alignment of the river. This was followed by physical demarcation of the region to learn about the length and breadth of the river. The third step was to clear the illegal encroachments.

“One of the major challenges was to remove the encroachments along the river. Using the revenue land records, we understood that there were huge encroachments on the river area which had become flat at some points. Although there was no permanent construction, people started using it to grow crops. As it was illegal usage, we sought the help of the revenue land records team to clear encroachments,” says Manish.

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The fourth step was desilting of the river to remove fine silt and sediment collected in the river and restore it to its natural capacity. As part of this, the district administration roped in MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) workers to clean and dig the riverbed afresh.

Started in December 2022, the project was completed in six months by June 2023. During the last monsoon, the river captured the rainwater and was revived to its old glory. The region was also free from waterlogging.

The district administration roped MGNREGA workers to clean and dig the riverbed afresh.
“Every river has a catchment area. The natural flow of water in an area will be towards the river, so runoff water from nearby areas flows in that direction. If the flow is hindered, then water gets logged in the area but this time, this water was directed towards Sot,” Manish adds.

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This development was also followed by a massive plantation drive along the river bank. As many as 10,000 bamboo saplings were planted to prevent future soil erosion.

Maintaining the river’s restored glory​

After the project completion, it was observed that the seasonal Sot river received ample water in the monsoon and remained rejuvenated for the next two and a half months. As part of the project, several micro check dams were also built on the river to slow the runoff in the channel.

Interestingly, this work was lauded by the Prime Minister in his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’ in September 2023. “This proved to be very encouraging for all the officials and gram panchayats associated with the project. Inspired by this, the districts of Amroha and Budaun also undertook the project of reviving the Sot river downstream and upstream, respectively,” shares Manish.

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Within six months, the district administration revived the river to its old glory.
Manish credits the success of the project to the local people, gram panchayats, MGNREGA workers, and district officials. In June 2024, he was transferred to Saharanpur district but this did not affect the success of the project.

Ram Ashish, the District Development Officer of Sambhal, tells The Better India, “We keep monitoring for encroachments and ensure that the river remains rejuvenated. Post monsoon, the soil erodes into the river. So, we are working on a plan to organise desiltation and continue the work started by Manish sir.”

He adds that while some downstream areas currently have water, they expect to see the river filled to the brim in a couple of days when it rains.

Meanwhile, IAS Manish was reached out to by residents of Saharanpur to replicate the work seeing the success of the project in Sambhal district. “Saharanpur has several seasonal rivers such as Kali and Hindon rivers. They originate from Shivaliks and pass through the district. Over the years, their area has reduced in size. We aim to work on these rivers next,” he says.

However, Manish believes that the administration can only play the role of a facilitator, but it is only when the community becomes the protector of its rivers that they can remain rejuvenated.

This 110 km Long River Was Left To Die, Until an IAS Officer Helped Revive It in 6 Months

Sot River, once the lifeline of Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, lost its natural flow due to decades of encroachment. Here's how IAS Manish Bansal, along with officials and locals, revived the 110-km stretch, restoring water flow and eliminating waterlogging.

thebetterindia.com

For Manish, the Sot river rejuvenation project during his tenure in Sambhal was extremely fulfilling. “This project was very close to my heart. Projects such as river rejuvenation take a backseat as they are not always a priority among other routine works. But if we do not rejuvenate these rivers, people will face the brunt of a water crisis. Thankfully, the State Government has also been actively focusing on the environment by reviving water bodies and establishing Amrit Sarovar projects,” he adds.

Edited by Khushi Arora; All photos: Ram Ashish.

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[Krishna with Flute]

A mission to plant 2420 Million trees to revive the waterflow of river Kaveri. Mission Kaveri calling by Sadguru.

Progress So Far​

• 120 million living trees planted, including 1.43 million trees in December 2024
• 235,215 farmers shifted to tree-based agriculture, including 2453 farmers in December 2024
• UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) accreditation
• Observer status to the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) of UNEP
• Rs. 19,000 crores (~2.5 billion USD) allocated by Govt. of India to revitalize 13 rivers in line with the Rally for Rivers draft policy recommendations

"Cauvery has been the source of wellbeing, prosperity and the very source of life for these lands. A forest-fed perennial river is fast becoming a seasonal stream as 87% of tree cover has been removed in 50 years. Cauvery is calling, do you have a heart to hear?" – Sadhguru

Cauvery Calling is a first of its kind campaign, setting the standard for how India’s rivers – the country’s lifelines – can be revitalized. It will initiate the revitalization of Cauvery river and transform the lives of 84 million people.



The story so far...

Cauvery Calling is a movement that germinated from a seed that was planted over two decades ago.

In 1998, a team of experts predicted that by 2025, nearly 60% of Tamil Nadu would become a desert. That this rich land, which has been farmed continuously for more than 12,000 years, could become a desert seemed inconceivable to Sadhguru, who, in his own words, does not like predictions. Sadhguru decided to drive around Tamil Nadu to assess the situation himself. He realized then that we might not even make it to 2025... Not only had small rivers dried up and homes been built on their riverbeds, there was not enough moisture in the soil for even palm trees – typical desert vegetation – to survive. It was evident that the rampant loss of tree cover was rapidly leaving the once-rich soil barren and turning the land into desert. It was at this point that the blueprint to bring back green cover and turn the tide for our soil and water was conceived.



The Beginning

The initial years were spent in creating a core group of people with a deep understanding and concern for the environment. The very first activity we engaged in was to green our own backyard. The glorious Velliangiri Hills, which form the backdrop of the Isha Yoga Center, had been stripped bare, brown from years of illegal timber trade. Under Sadhguru’s guidance, a few hundred volunteers joined forces. Over 22 days, using simple implements, they went up these hills and sowed close to six million seeds of native species. Today our Velliangiris are moist and green right through the torrid summer months. This momentum segued in 2002 into Vanashree Eco Center, a volunteer-driven tree planting initiative.



Planting Trees in People’s Minds

With desertification looming over the state, Sadhguru conceived and communicated the plan for Tamil Nadu to meet the national aspiration of 33% green cover. He estimated that close to 114 million trees would need to be planted across the state to achieve this goal. People around Sadhguru were flabbergasted: at the time, this felt like an impossibly ambitious task.

Sadhguru first set about “planting trees in people’s minds” – the most difficult of terrains! Leading people through experiential processes where they were able to perceive how intimately our lives and our life-breath are connected to trees, Sadhguru opened their hearts to the vital need for restoration.



The Formative Years

Project GreenHands (PGH) was launched in 2004 and, in many ways, it was the pilot and the proof-of-concept for the massive work that is underway today. PGH had many large-scale initiatives such as the Green School Movement and Trees for All to involve young, school-going children and the general public. It also had intensive programs to collaborate with farmers, including the Save Soil – Thaaimann Kaakkum Vivasaayam movement, based on the principles of organic farming, and Trees for Life, an initiative based on the tree-based agriculture model. For these phenomenal efforts, and a Guinness record for the largest single-day tree plantation drive, Isha received India’s highest environmental award, the Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar, in 2010.



The Big Bang

Heartening as these achievements were, they still lacked the scale required to reverse the disastrous course we had set for India’s rivers through our collective mismanagement. What was needed was drastic, wide-reaching awareness, a redirection of National Policy and urgent action on the ground. Sadhguru stepped forward to inspire this revolution. In 2017, leading the month-long “Rally for Rivers” through 16 Indian states governed by parties across the political spectrum, garnering the support of 162 million people, Sadhguru arrived in New Delhi and presented to the Prime Minister a 761-page report titled Revitalization of Rivers in India: Draft Policy Recommendation. This intensive and exhaustive document – prepared with inputs from various experts from diverse fields relating to forestry, soil, agriculture, governance, finance, corporate, education and development – was taken up for study and action with tremendous alacrity by the Central Government. Under the aegis of the NITI Aayog (a policy think tank of the Government of India, established to achieve Sustainable Development Goals), an inter-ministerial committee of government secretaries and experts evaluated the draft policy in detail, and then went on to issue a policy advisory to all 29 state governments about the principles and policies relating to river revitalization. Things started to look up when several state governments across the nation began to implement these recommendations.

More recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, prepared Detailed Project Reports on rejuvenating 13 of the country’s rivers in line with the Rally for Rivers draft policy recommendations and allocated Rs. 19,000 crores towards these projects.




Cauvery is Calling

In the summer of 2019, the city of Chennai was hit by a water crisis of horrifying proportions. As with so many of India’s large riverine systems, Cauvery, the lifeline of southern India, was rapidly dying. This crisis, in conjunction with several allied issues such as poor soil health, cycles of flood and drought, the resultant farmer distress and migration, was creating a situation of growing despair. Immediate action was called for.

At Isha, we were already aware that a large-scale demonstration of the recommended model of eco-restoration was vital to its widespread adoption. Therefore, when this crisis presented itself, it was the cue to embark on our mammoth on-ground demonstration for river revitalization through the “tree-based agriculture” model. Cauvery Calling – the world’s largest farmer-driven eco-movement – was launched.

The ambition is to enable 5.2 million farmers to plant 2.42 billion trees in Cauvery basin in a span of 12 years. We are supporting the farmers in a multi-faceted way to adopt tree-based agriculture, and eventually bring one-third of the basin under tree cover. From the preparation of quality saplings to ensuring farmer interest, from farmer education to bringing about required government policy changes, from government incentives for farmers to partnering with like-minded NGOs – we are working at every conceivable level to scale up this movement. This has included working extensively with the Central Government and the concerned State Governments, leading tangibly to several policy reforms. These reforms cover a broad range of aspects affecting the farmer - from reforms in agricultural practices at one end to helping make Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) viable and giving them tax incentives at the other.

The most fantastic part of this journey has been that we have succeeded in bringing together all stakeholders from every section of society, including farmers, scientists, civil society groups, state governments, the citizens and the media, and inspiring them to focus their energies on a common ecological goal. For the farmer, it is a highly lucrative economic model with significant ecological benefits. For the state and citizens, it is a double win.

The impact we have already seen in the pilot years in terms of soil quality, groundwater sequestration, improved farmer income and the benefits of increased green cover are all on road to being demonstrated exponentially with this massive on-ground movement. The vision is to establish a blueprint for tropical river restoration that can be replicated and implemented across the planet. The idea is to innovate, demonstrate, amplify and inspire planetary scale.

In this gargantuan endeavor, we hold an open door to anyone who wishes to work and support to make this happen. Individuals, governments, corporations, organizations, international entities – we seek, and welcome, and value your support. The true fruition of this project would be in humanity coming together to aid and amplify its success.

 

[Bilal9]

Well this is subjective i guess ....

Muslims of India never really wanted Develpoment or Progress in so called WERSTERN METIRIALISTIC STANDARDS like

Democratic rights to all citizens of state without discrimination based on Gender/ caste /religion/Race

Eduction for all without discrimination based on Gender/ caste /religion/Race

Equality Before Law without discrimination based on Gender/ caste /religion/Race

thats cause they always thought themselfs superior to Non Muslims and this shows about how they treat Hindus / Sikhs /Bhudists or christians like non Muslim religious minorities or even non sunni muslim sects like Shias or ahmedies in Pakistan or Bangladesh

https://swarajyamag.com/ideas/census-1931-why-its-relevant-now-more-than-ever

funniest part is even education dose not helps rather those who made Pakistan or proposed Idea of Pakistan were mostlyShiekh Muslims and Shia muslim feudals on UP & MP & Bengal presidency and Ahmedies in Punjab province

just look at education %age of Muslims Vs Hindus in 1931 for expample
please share your thoughts @Saif @Lulldapull @Bilal9 @Bagheera0084 @Vsdoc

I think you are painting with too broad a brush and don't understand the underlying dynamics.

Educated Middle class Indian Muslims rejected Western education as a protest against the British Raj starting in the mid 1700s (Company Raj) following Bangla Nawab's defeat at Palashi (Plessey), they were not going to lick British boots. Which is why the lower rate of education for Muslims in British India and why they did not feature widely as administrative servants under Company and British Raj.

Upper class Indian Muslims got educated in Western Universities any way.

Middle class Indian Muslims got Aligarh Renaissance later (and similar opportunities).

 

[Guru Dutt]

I think you are painting with too broad a brush and don't understand the underlying dynamics.

Educated Middle class Indian Muslims rejected Western education as a protest against the British Raj starting in the mid 1700s (Company Raj) following Bangla Nawab's defeat at Palashi (Plessey), they were not going to lick British boots. Which is why the lower rate of education for Muslims in British India and why they did not feature widely as administrative servants under Company and British Raj.

Upper class Indian Muslims got educated in Western Universities any way.

Middle class Indian Muslims got Aligarh Renaissance later (and similar opportunities).

First thing First .... the so called Muslim feudal elite /Mansabdaar's or Nawabs or Subedaar's type later who under British became Zameendaar's dint just invited British against Marathas but had earlier even called Nadir shah Nd then same delhi clergy likes of waliullah dehelvi called ahmed shah abdali against marathas again and before that there ancesstors had called Babbar against Pathan Ibrahim Lodhi who they thought was a bif too soft towards Rajpoots and even had Hindu Hemu as his Army chief


so cutting long story short these same muslim feudals and religious and high clergy in Shahi court had time and again invited foriegn powers even Tipu sultan had invited Shah of Afghanistan to wage a Jihad against growing powers of marathas in deccan and middle india and sikhs , rajpoots and jaats in north and north western india

Having said that on the education front even there there was never a problem even in times since mamluk empires there was a wast madarssa culture specially all across UP , MP and what was Pakistan and indian Punjab , haryana and higher english styel education for elite muslims was not limited to AMU

funny fact is the language URDU was propogated by British before that in till early 1900s it was called Zuban E URDU or "Rekhta" or DACCANNI or commonlli as HINDVI/Hindustani

but when British started there hyper Divide & rule policy for which they divided East & west bengal on basis of Hindu and muslim and statrted using muslim elite against Congress which now strated to show nationalistic and revolting colours with people like Bal Ganghadar Tilak , Lalla Lajpat Rai Bipin Chandra pal or bunkin chandra chaterjiand Molana Hazrat Mohani had started asking for SWARAJ so British perpped up muslim elite and for that they first drew a DURAND LINE and sepratted Afghanistan from Hindustan which was always considerred part of Indian civilization(Gandhara) since times of Mahabharta or Ashoka and even Mughals and later Nepal and Bhutan and mayanmar/burma and Cylone/sri lanka from united India and lastly Pakistan was acrved out of Unted India which in 1971 also gave birth to Bangladesh


long story short Muslim elite always put its False ego and martial race superiorty above the people or nation/civilization of Hindustan which they never considerred themselfs as part of but only as Victors/Hukumraan E waqt and rest every one as there RIYAYYAH and for that time and agained invited invaders and betrayed and killed there own people .... tell me has anything changed

 

[Vsdoc]

Well this is subjective i guess ....

Muslims of India never really wanted Develpoment or Progress in so called WERSTERN METIRIALISTIC STANDARDS like

Democratic rights to all citizens of state without discrimination based on Gender/ caste /religion/Race

Eduction for all without discrimination based on Gender/ caste /religion/Race

Equality Before Law without discrimination based on Gender/ caste /religion/Race

thats cause they always thought themselfs superior to Non Muslims and this shows about how they treat Hindus / Sikhs /Bhudists or christians like non Muslim religious minorities or even non sunni muslim sects like Shias or ahmedies in Pakistan or Bangladesh

https://swarajyamag.com/ideas/census-1931-why-its-relevant-now-more-than-ever

funniest part is even education dose not helps rather those who made Pakistan or proposed Idea of Pakistan were mostlyShiekh Muslims and Shia muslim feudals on UP & MP & Bengal presidency and Ahmedies in Punjab province

just look at education %age of Muslims Vs Hindus in 1931 for expample
please share your thoughts @Saif @Lulldapull @Bilal9 @Bagheera0084 @Vsdoc

Numbers speak for themselves.

There are how many Indians here?

6?

How many Muslims do each of us remember in our school class or college batch?

Remember the total number of Muslims as a percentage of our population.

One should normally see near about the same mix in school, if not college (especially professional degrees).

 

[Vsdoc]

And then ask yourselves, how many of those Muslims you remember were girls.

 

[Guru Dutt]

Numbers speak for themselves.

There are how many Indians here?

6?

How many Muslims do each of us remember in our school class or college batch?

Remember the total number of Muslims as a percentage of our population.

One should normally see near about the same mix in school, if not college (especially professional degrees).

well cnt say about then but today when i go drop my child to AKAASH for medical coaching there yu see many burke waliyan they are 10% of female students and 20% of male students prepairing for medical and same is with engineering and UPSC

 

[Guru Dutt]

And then ask yourselves, how many of those Muslims you remember were girls.

i had my graduation from Dr Zakir Hussain College oppsite Ram Lila Maidan adjecent to Turkman Gate Old Delhi and it was Muslim Majority College ... per maine teen saal wahan bhee Navratro me Havan karaya

 

[Vsdoc]

I think you are painting with too broad a brush and don't understand the underlying dynamics.

Educated Middle class Indian Muslims rejected Western education as a protest against the British Raj starting in the mid 1700s (Company Raj) following Bangla Nawab's defeat at Palashi (Plessey), they were not going to lick British boots. Which is why the lower rate of education for Muslims in British India and why they did not feature widely as administrative servants under Company and British Raj.

Upper class Indian Muslims got educated in Western Universities any way.

Middle class Indian Muslims got Aligarh Renaissance later (and similar opportunities).

And now they don't want to lick Hindu boots.

So they choose ro be mechanics, darzis, mochis, plumbers, electricians, kasais, drug peddlers, body shop owners (stolen bikes and cars recycling), waiters, rickshaw wallas, etc.