Carried out in a Raj hamlet, L-G recalls work on land degradation neutrality

New Delhi: Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Saturday recalled how Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of land degradation neutrality, aiming to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, fuelled regeneration of an arid village in Rajasthan, saying it serves “as a replicable model for fighting desertification and infusing life to a dying earth”. Posting a video of now-trasformed Nichla Mandwa village in Udaipur district on his X handle, he said that this stands as a testimony of how a low-cost project can foster an eco-system that boosts scarce natural resources, enriches people’s lives and counters the larger threat of global warming.

“The journey of this amazing transformation began with the villagers offering 25 acres of Gram Sabha land for rejuvenation. The transformation achieved thereafter, is a story of human resilience and ingenuity,” said Saxena, who was then serving as chairperson, Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC). KVIC and an Ahmedabad-based NGO National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL) joined hands to prepare this land for mass plantation, with involvement of local woman sarpanch, MLA and the MP. A solar powered bore-well was dug to meet the watering needs. A defunct check-dam was repaired and innovative measures like use of mulching, by utilizing organic kitchen waste from nearby hotels, for strengthening plantation, were undertaken among others. “I kept a watch on the transformation taking place, visiting the village twice thereafter and it was heartening to see squirrels, peacocks, chameleons, butterflies, dragonflies, grasshoppers and others teaming around the trees, on my visit to the restored site on 04.09.2025” The entire exercise was completed at a cost of just Rs 5 Lakh.