Page 63 - Man Ki Baat Nov 2024 (English)

Tisha Kumari, Reena Devi, and Sunita Devi are associated with the self-help group
‘Jeevika.’ They say, “We have received mango, jackfruit, litchi, jamun, and many other
trees from Jeevika in thousands. These trees have been planted. The benefit of this
initiative is that we will eat their fruit, and the children of our society will also savour
them. Also, these trees will protect us from scorching sun and heat.”
“Till now, Jeevika has distributed 6,87,500 trees, which have also been planted. Fifteen
‘Didi Ki Nurseries’ are currently in operation. There are three clusters in each block.
We plan to have a ‘Didi Ki Nursery’ in
every cluster. The sisters are benefiting
a lot from this. Along with water,
the environment is also getting
cleansed.”

-Rajesh Kumar Ranjan,
'Jeevika' Official

Being recognised by the Prime Minister of India is a tremendous honour and
a testament to the dedication of our team and the community of Sangti. This
acknowledgment inspires us to work harder to further improve the system and reach
out to other communities to share our learnings and replicate our efforts. We work
with the children of the village to make creative and thought provoking signage and
wall art to capture attention. We conduct engaging awareness sessions in the village
in collaboration with travel companies, where self-help group women and children
share insights about the community-led waste management system in Sangti with
tourists. Our work is directly contributing to preserving the natural beauty of Sangti
Valley by tackling the increasing waste generation from tourism. Today, thanks to
the community’s efforts, dumping and burning have been stopped, and waste is now
properly managed, helping to protect the valley’s natural beauty for future generations.
-Itisha from Assam, Cleaning Sangti Valley, Arunachal Pradesh

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