Under 'Sundar Maza Gav' initiative or 'My Beautiful Village' proposed by the Divisional Commissioner Sunil Kendrekar and Building as Learning Aid (BaLA) Zilla Parishad CEO Abhinav Goel, a remote village of Maharashtra's Latur district receives free wifi. Nagtirthwadi becomes the first village under the 'smart model village' initiative to receive such a facility.
The development comes as a massive relief to the children who would not have to worry about the sporadic internet connectivity while attending online classes. In other such initiatives, 12 sound speakers were installed in various village spots to play religious songs every morning.
Women Would Depend On Husbands
The facility would also be used to give necessary instructions to the villagers, and news bulletins would be broadcasted morning and evening to keep them informed. The Indian Express mentioned a homemaker's statement in which she mentioned how women had to depend on their husbands for hotspots to access the internet.
She said, "Now housewives would not have to depend on their husbands as the Gram Panchayat has provided free internet access." She further mentioned that this was the first step in realising Prime Minister Modi's Digital India dream.
Tamarind Trees Planted To Boost Income
The officials said that in a bid to augment the ₹3 lakh income of the Gram Panchayat, 220 tamarind trees were planted in the barren land that could give ₹8-10 lakh income in the coming years. Previously, the village had contested in a competition organised by the Pani Foundation and had won ₹5 lakh. On 'Vat Poornima' occasion, 101 women had planted 101 banyan saplings along with the tamarind to protect the environment.
The saplings are watered using public wells, and the Gram Panchayat provides the people with a 24x7 supply of free drinking water. In 2006, the village had won the Nirmal Gram Puruskar from then-President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and Maharashta BJP Secretary Arvind Patil Nilangekar later adopted the village.