Modi lauds MP woman for reviving dried lake near her village

PTI, Feb 28, 2021, 2:06 PM IST

Bhopal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday lauded a woman from Madhya Pradesh for reviving a dried lake near her village by channelising rain water into it.

In his monthly ”Mann Ki Baat” broadcast, Modi said water has been crucial for the development of humankind for centuries, and underlined the importance of collective responsibility towards its conservation.

“You all will draw inspiration from what Babita Rajput of Agroutha village (in Chhatarpur district) in Madhya Pradesh is doing,” Modi said.

He said the woman”s village is in Bundelkhand area and there was a big lake near it which had dried up.

“She along with other women folk dug up a canal and routed rain water into the lake, which now has ample water,” the prime minister said.

The woman decided to revive the lake after her village faced water crisis in 2018.

Last year, the village received rains only twice, but the lake had enough water for the needs of residents following the efforts made by Rajput along with other women, some locals said.

In his ”Mann Ki Baat” broadcast, Modi called for a 100-day campaign to clean up all water bodies and prepare them for rain water harvesting before the monsoon season starts.

In this regard, the Union Jal Shakti Ministry is also launching ”Catch the rain” campaign and its main theme is “catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls”, he said.