Waste water used for irrigation

Panchayat of Jahangir village falling under Khadoor Sahib block in the district had been irrigating around 170 acres with waste water for the last five years. As a result, villagers were producing more yield and profit as they use less fertilisers than their counterparts. Dalbir Singh Jahangir, husband of former sarpanch, Swinder kaur, said the pond was built in more than four acres around 10 years ago. More than 90 per cent drain water of the village is collected in the pond. The water is filtered at entry points by following a simple process. There is no stench and water is crystal clear. The pond also acts as a lake. During winter, migratory birds, too, visit the pond. Even fishing is done in the pond and the income generated is being used for development works of the village. Locals said such process should be adopted at the national-level to irrigate crops for free.

Scholarship for deserving student

“All doors are open for Inderjit Singh, who is intelligent and expresses his views in a proper manner,” said Rakhi, incharge (Class IX), Government Senior Secondary School, Manochahal Kalan. Inderjit belongs to a marginal family and his father is a daily worker. His father works at a sweetshop during winter and sells goll gappas in summer season. Inderjit has two siblings, inlcluding a brother and a sister. His sister got admission at Akal Academy, Baru Sahib, for higher education, where education is provided for free to eligible girls. Inderjit is the only student in the school who not only got A+ grade in Class VIII annual exams, but also won National Merit-cum-Means Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS) conducted by the Centre recently. Principal Jaspreet Singh said Inderjit will get Rs 1,000 scholarship each month and all the required documents have been sent to the authorities concerned. For the last six months, Inderjit had been selling gol gappas to make both the ends meet as his father was unable to work. Inspite of his study getting affected, Inderjit has become mature, said Gurwaryam Singh, his Punjabi teacher. Rakhi said Inderjit can achieve success in any field as he has the confidence to progress. He has been honoured for all-round performance. Inderjit wants to join the Indian Army to serve the country.

Grant for development of villages in district

The state government has sanctioned around Rs 200 crore to develop villages under the “Smart Village” scheme. The grant will be used to renovate drainage systems, making streets, modernisation of ponds, installation of street lights, construction of school buildings, repair of of cremation grounds, among others. Tarn Taran MLA Dr Dharamvir Agnihotri while inaugurating development works at Jauhal Raju Singh village said the state government out of the total amount of Rs 200.85 crore, grants worth Rs 22.56 crore had been released. Agnihotri said Rs 37 lakh will be spent at Jauhal Raju Singh village. He said 32 streets of the village will be constructed the said amount. Sarpanch Kanwaljit Kaur highlighted the progress made by the village during the last three years.