20-Day Watershed Yatra Campaign Makes Last Stop at Asukiqa, Zunheboto

Newmai News Network

Ukhrul, Feb 24: Watershed Yatra Campaign, a 20-day yatra, initiated under the Ministry of Land Resources, Government of India, and organized by the Department of Land Resources, Nagaland Government, covering four districts of Nagaland, culminated today at Asukiqa village, Zunheboto, incorporating four other villages in its area, namely Ghokimi, Kitami, Tsaphimi and Puneboqa.

While delivering the keynote address, the chairperson of the program, Assistant Inspector, Land Resources, Roselyn Chishi highlighted that ‘Watershed Yatra’ is a mass outreach campaign to create awareness about watershed development activities carried out under the Watershed Development Component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (WDC-PMKSY 2.0) project areas across 27 states and 2 union territories, tentatively launching from January 17, 2025. The campaign compounds various major activities, viz. Bhoomi Poojan, Lokarpan of new projects in every district, Watershed Mahotsav, Shramdan, Watershed Ki Panchayat, Awards and recognitions to the Watershed Warriors and Bhumi-Jal Pitch, etc. planned with the involvement of the local community and youth population on voluntarily basis, she added.

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The nationwide campaign subsequently helped in achieving a ‘Community Driven Approach (Jan Bhagidari),’ which needs to be adopted for the implementation of watershed projects, as per extant guidelines, and also galvanize the implementation machinery at the field level, Roselyn concluded.

Further, the program witnessed the ‘Handing over of assets (Lokarpan)’ where Alowoni SHG, Kitami village was felicitated with a solar dryer under Livelihood, Micro-Enterprises and Business Development, which was administered by the Additional Director, Land Resources, Hekato N.

Earlier, the culmination program began with an invocation (Bhoomipujan) followed by Land and Water Conservation Oath Taking. The event also witnessed a folk song by coffee growers (Puneboqa village), a traditional folk dance by the Ghokimi village cultural troupe, a street play performed by Alowoni SHG (Kitami village), experience sharing by Watershed Margdarshaks, Inaqhe Swu, and various other competitions, projecting awareness on the campaign objective of land and water conservation and awards ceremony. Shramdaan activities of ‘Bush Management at Coffee Plantations and Digging of Compost Pits at Coffee Farms’ by the Watershed Committee, Ghokimi village were also carried out.

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