States » WestPosted at: Jun 29 2025 7:57PM


Maha village earns PM's praise as National Carbon-Neutral Blueprint

Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, June 29 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi today lauded Patoda village in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar district as a pioneering carbon-neutral model during his monthly 'Mann Ki Baat' broadcast.
The village's comprehensive sustainability systems earned national recognition for transforming from drought-affected terrain to an ecological exemplar.
"Patoda demonstrates how grassroots innovation achieves carbon neutrality," stated the Prime Minister.
"Residents systematically segregate waste, treat wastewater before river discharge and utilise cow-dung cakes for last rites – planting memorial trees with the ashes."
Located merely seven kilometres from Aurangabad city, the village of 3,368 residents has implemented 34 sustainability initiatives under former sarpanch Bhaskar Pere-Patil's decades-long leadership.
Central to its transformation is a revolutionary water management system featuring 24/7 operational water ATMs. These units provide 581 families with 20 litres of free filtered mineral water daily via ATM cards.
"We've spent 12 years ensuring no raindrop escapes our village," explained Pere-Patil, detailing integrated rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, and complete wastewater recycling through natural treatment ponds.
The carbon-neutral status stems from multi-pronged initiatives: mandatory household waste segregation with weekly plastic collection for recycling and organic composting, 32 CCTV cameras enforcing plastic / gutka bans, community-building monthly group meals, 15 solar streetlights, and 11 biogas projects including toilet-linked units.
Despite political shifts in 2021 ending the Pere-Patil family's 25-year leadership, the village maintains exceptional civic amenities: free flour mills for taxpayers, malnutrition-free anganwadis, birthday tree-planting programmes and women's self-help groups – supported by a 90-95 percent tax recovery rate.
Patoda's excellence has garnered 24 awards, including two Presidential honours, the Nirmal Gram Cleanliness award and the Carbon Neutral Special Panchayat Award. It holds ISO certifications for its panchayat office and anganwadi operations and was among 11 villages selected nationally for rural development studies.
Following the PM's address, the Panchayati Raj Ministry affirmed Patoda would "energize gram panchayats nationwide to embrace innovation".
Union Minister Kapil Moreshwar Patil confirmed sarpanches achieving maximum Sustainable Development Goals will receive awards and PM recognition.
PM Modi concluded, "When small habits become collective resolve, transformative change follows."
Patoda now stands as a replicable model for drought-prone regions, demonstrating how community-driven sustainability can reshape rural India's ecological future.
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