Tales of Prosperity of the Beneficiaries: Washim Part 2

After willingly consenting to giving their land for the Samruddhi Project, the various landowners from 10 districts executed their land deals with the MSRDC. Once the landowners received the compensation amount from the direct purchase scheme in their respective bank accounts through RTGS, how and where is the money is now being utilized? This is the second and final part of a two-part series of some “Samruddha” stories – meaning “Tales of Prosperity” of some of the beneficiaries in Washim.

Ashabai Vaidya of Pedgaon village in Mangrulpir taluka and Ugale Bandhu of Nimbha Jahangir village in Karanja taluka are among the many beneficiaries of the Samruddhi Project.

Ashabai Vaidya owned a farmland in Pedgaon. Her family comprises ten members. Her farmland wasn’t very big in size; she would still use the land for cultivation of crop, just like the other farm owners. However, the yield was insufficient as the entire cultivation depended on rainfall. To add to that, when she found out about the Samruddhi Mahamarg project, she was worried about the fate of her land. She was concerned about providing for the family’s livelihood once her piece of land was given up for the Mahamarg project – which why she initially opposed the project. But, she started thinking of the project in a positive light when she found out that the compensation would be five times the value of the land and that there would be no delay in receiving it. She took her family members into confidence and educated them about the scheme. The family had discussions about the area of the land that they would have to give up and the compensation amount that they would be receiving.

About 89 ares of Ashabai’s land was going to be used for the Mahamarg project. In about two days after the purchase of the land was transacted, Ashabai received the compensation amount in her bank account. Once the money was credited to her account, Ashabai bought a 2 acre farmland near her village. Similarly, she started the construction of her afresh. She also kept some money aside in the bank for the future.

There was scarcity of water in Ashabai’s farm, which is why she wanted to construct a water tank to get access to sufficient water for the fields. She has now made a provision for the same. Ashabai is no longer worried. She is confident that with sufficient water supply, the land will become Bagayati land, which in turn will automatically improve the yield and income – which is why she has taken up this task on priority.

Just like Ashabai, the Ugale Bandhu family is another beneficiary family in Washim.

The three Ugale brothers own a 10 acre land near Nimbha Jahangir village. The three brothers worked really hard to bring moisture into the land, which earlier used to a dry-land. They now have a well, pipeline and a borewell on the land. All three brothers toil hard on the field. The land bears a crop twice in a year. They cultivate Tur dal and Soybean in one season and Wheat and Gram in the next season. This results in a good income – about ₹ 4-4.5 lac – from farming. Additionally, they have also developed the land as Bagayati land. Mango trees have been planted in a patch on the land. The results of the Ugale brothers’ hard work were noticeable on their farmland. They had achieved this outcome through joint efforts over the last 8-10 years. When the villagers learned about the Samruddhi Mahamarg Scheme, the three brothers opposed the project like many others. The Ugale family had witnessed the plight of their relatives who had to give up their lands for the Nagpur-Jalna Highway the dam project, not very far from their own village. They had not received the compensation amount for their lands till very recently. They believed that they would have to similarly wait for the compensation amount for quite a few years if they gave up their land for the Samruddhi Mahamarg.

6 acres out of their 10 acre land was going to be utilized for the Samruddhi Mahamarg project. All three of them were sad about having to give up a part of their land which they had developed with such effort. To check whether the government machinery really pays the compensation instantly, Parshuram first handed over 39 ares from his share of land for the project. He received the money within two days. Thus, reassured, the brothers agreed to give up the entire 6 acres of their land for the project. The brothers received the compensation amount in their bank accounts within around two days of completing the purchase transaction.

They were determined to purchase another piece of farmland in place of the one they had just given up, even before receiving the compensation amount in their bank accounts. They started looking for a suitable land for the same. All three of them did not manage to find a piece of land at the same location. One of them found suitable piece of land in Karli village, another found one in Mugutpur village. Now, they own a total of 11 acres of farmland. They now have to dig up a well, construct a borewell and bring a pipeline into their farmlands. They have also purchased a tractor, which will be used in their business. They are also constructing a house from the compensation received. Earlier, their families used to stay in makeshift houses made of tin. Now, they are constructing a joint house for the three families, the construction of which will be completed in the near future. They are also going to modernize the adjoining cow shed. The entire village has progressed due to the Samruddhi Mahamarg, which is why they no longer feel bad about giving up their land. They plan to put a fence around the original farmland which remains with them and will continue with their traditional farming on that land.

Likewise, thousands of beneficiaries from the rest of the districts are looking forward to a brighter future because the Samruddhi Mahamarg Project. Click on the link below to view the life changing stories of the beneficiaries from Washim district.