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This India’s Miracle Village is also an example for Pakistan

03:13 PM | 17 Jan, 2016
This India’s Miracle Village is also an example for Pakistan
LAHORE (Web Desk) - Within just over two decades, a remote village in the Indian state of Maharashtra has managed to have the highest GDP among all the villages in the country.

Its 1,250-strong population enjoys an average income of INR 30,000 ($450) per month, also highest in the nation, up from a paltry INR 830 in 1995.

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Believe it or not, 60 of the 235 families in Hiware Bazar, a village in Ahmednagar, are millionaires.

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Every year, their fields yield bountiful crops of millets, onions, and potatoes that make it hard to imagine that only a few years ago they were barren stretches of land that no one cared about.

Oddity Central’s Sumitra narrates the success story of the residents in Hiware Bazar who say, up until the mid 90s, the village was poverty-stricken reeling in the aftermath of a severe drought in 1972.

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“The peace was shattered,” recalls Raosaheb Rauji Panwar, an 82-year-old villager.

“People became irritable and restless as the struggle to stay alive became severe. Petty reasons were enough to trigger-off bitter quarrels, as there was so much despair and frustration. Villagers started consuming liquor and it added to our ruin.”

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About 90 percent of the population moved out, and those remaining had no prospects.

The village sarpanch (leader) at the time was just an elderly figurehead with no vision and the youth of the village soon realised they lacked a strong leader to look to for guidance and support.

So they got together in 1989 and decided to approach a young man named Popatrao Pawar, the only villager with a graduate degree.

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Pawar wasn’t interested at first, but the villagers’ persistence finally wore him down. When he was unanimously elected sarpanch, he decided that the time had come for Hiware Bazar to shine.

One of the first things Pawar did as sarpanch was to convince the villagers to close down about 22 liquor shops, which they did.

The new leader then arranged for loans to poor farmers from the Bank of Maharashtra, and used some of the funds to start projects that would eventually improve the water supply in the region.

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Pawar started rainwater harvesting and water conservations schemes, and got the villagers to build 52 earthen bunds, 32 stone bunds, two percolation tanks and nine check dams, the Oddity Central reports.

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The projects worked. Although Hiware Bazar only received 15 inches of annual rainfall, the ponds and trenches they built saved every single drop water, preventing it from flowing out of the village. After just one monsoon, the irrigation area increased from 50 acres to 170 hectares. As the groundwater level began to rise, so did the villagers’ morale.

With the water shortage resolved, many people who had left the village began to return. The number of families slowly went up from 90 to 235. The people were happier, collaborated more often, and solved problems together.

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Pawar set up systems so that two to three families could help each other on their farms, fostering a sense of community and avoiding the cost of hiring laborers. Today, they are able to harvest multiple crops, even taming and ploughing stubborn, rocky land for farming.

“I left for Mumbai in 1965 and worked there for 35 years,” said Yadav Dada Thange, a local farmer. “I heard about how the people in my village were successfully fighting drought by recharging rainwater. I decided to quit my job and come back to my village.”

Hiware Bazar is now a model village, with a growing sense of discipline and order. The roads are clean and well-planned, cement houses have long replaced the derelict huts of old, liquor and tobacco have been banned, as have open defecation and urination.

Every single house has a toilet, a fact that cannot be said about most villages in India, and people are genuinely happy and proud of their achievements.

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Hiware Bazar proves to be an example for people in Pakistan’s rural areas, which are also facing same issues of drought and lack of leadership.

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Rupee recovers marginally against US dollar, Euro, Pound, Dirham and Riyal; check forex rates

Pakistani rupee saw marginal improvement against US dollar as it appreciated in the open bank market.

Dollar Rate in Pakistan Today

On Thursday, the US dollar moved up and was being quoted at 285.3 for buying and 288.15 for selling.

Euro moves down to 311 for buying and 314 for selling. British Pound rate stands at 358.5 for buying, and 361.5 for selling.

UAE Dirham AED stands at 78 whereas the Saudi Riyal rate stands at 76.20.

Today's currency exchange rates in Pakistan - 30 November 2023

Currency Symbol Buying Selling
US Dollar ‎USD 285.3 288.15
Euro EUR 311 314
UK Pound Sterling GBP 358.5 361.5
U.A.E Dirham AED 78 78.7
Saudi Riyal SAR 76.2 77
Australian Dollar AUD 187.2 189
Bahrain Dinar BHD 759.67 767.67
Canadian Dollar CAD 209 211
China Yuan CNY 39.58 39.98
Danish Krone DKK 41.38 41.78
Hong Kong Dollar HKD 36.63 36.98
Indian Rupee INR 3.39 3.5
Japanese Yen JPY 1.49 1.56
Kuwaiti Dinar KWD 926.7 935.7
Malaysian Ringgit MYR 60.38 60.98
New Zealand Dollar NZD 173.44 175.44
Norwegians Krone NOK 26.25 26.55
Omani Riyal OMR 741.26 749.26
Qatari Riyal ‎QAR 77.63 78.33
Singapore Dollar SGD 211 213
Swedish Korona SEK 26.93 27.23
Swiss Franc CHF 325.9 328.4
Thai Bhat THB 8.23 8.38

Gold rates in Pakistan increase; Check today’s gold rates 30 November 2023

KARACHI – The gold price continues to climb up in the local market in line of upward trend in international market.

Gold Rates in Pakistan Today - 30 November 2023

On Thursday, the single tola of 24 Karat gold was available at Rs218,600, and the price for 10-gram gold reached Rs187,420.

Meanwhile, the 22 Karat Gold price stands at Rs200,380, 21 karat rate for each tola is Rs191,275 and 18k gold rate hoveres around Rs163,950.

In international market, the price of precious metal hovers around $2,045 per ounce.

Today Gold Rate in Pakistan

City Gold Silver
Lahore PKR 218,600 PKR 2,675
Karachi PKR 218,600 PKR 2,675
Islamabad PKR 218,600 PKR 2,675
Peshawar PKR 218,600 PKR 2,675
Quetta PKR 218,600 PKR 2,675
Sialkot PKR 218,600 PKR 2,675
Attock PKR 218,600 PKR 2,675
Gujranwala PKR 218,600 PKR 2,675
Jehlum PKR 218,600 PKR 2,675
Multan PKR 218,600 PKR 2,675
Bahawalpur PKR 218,600 PKR 2,675
Gujrat PKR 218,600 PKR 2,675
Nawabshah PKR 218,600 PKR 2,675
Chakwal PKR 218,600 PKR 2,675
Hyderabad PKR 218,600 PKR 2,675
Nowshehra PKR 218,600 PKR 2,675
Sargodha PKR 218,600 PKR 2,675
Faisalabad PKR 218,600 PKR 2,675
Mirpur PKR 218,600 PKR 2,675

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