Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar,23rd December 2023 : S M Sehgal Foundation, in collaboration with DCB Bank and NIRDPR (National Institute of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj) as the knowledge partner, held the second chapter of the Capacity Building and Experience Sharing workshop series in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, on 20th December 2023. Titled ‘Jalagam’ (panlot in Marathi), the workshop was graced by Dr. Debapriya Dutta, Head & Scientist “G” /Adviser, Societal Mission & Science for Equity Empowerment and Development (SEED) Division – State S&T Programme (SSTP) Department of Science & Technology, Government of India. Mr. Gaurav Mehta, Head Public Relations, Marketing & CSR, DCB Bank and Ms. Anjali Makhija, Trustee & CEO, S M Sehgal Foundation. Emphasizing on the bottom-up approach, Dr. Dutta said, “Community adaptability and sustenance mechanisms exist and platforms such as these should be instrumental in enabling the sharing of these local knowledge systems that can further be strengthened through partnerships.”

The panel sessions on models of community participation featured various grassroots champions and village leaders, including Vaishali Chopre from village Wanegaon, Asha Atmaram Komati from Shivani village, Yavatmal district and Amit A. Bhatpude, Geologist, Groundwater Survey Development Agency. Sarpanches from village Ghodegaon, Nidhona, and Shirodi also shared their award-winning work in water management in the panel exploring the role of village-level institutions in building climate resilience. They spoke about community stewardship models that have propelled water security in their villages. Various discussions around models of community participation at the village level, the role of village-level institutions in building climate resilience, and policies and practices in water security were the highlights of the Jalagam workshop in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Another highlight of the day was a skit on the theme ‘Impact of Climate Change in Marathwada region’ performed by students of masters in social work, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University.

The session on plugging policy practice gaps in making rural India water secure had academicians from Dr. Sampat Kale, TISS Tuljapur, Dr. Nitin Prakashrao Patil, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, and Seema Vishnu Sanap from AFPRO.