6. Mawlynnong, Meghalaya – Asia’s Cleanest Village
Located in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, Mawlynnong is a beautiful village known for its natural attractions. You can find dustbins almost in every corner of the village. This small Indian village in the midst of hills has a lot to offer to the nature lovers. You don’t find a single piece of plastic bag or even a cigarette butt lying around. The best part is that the villagers of Mawlynnong themselves clean the whole village.
Plastic is banned, bamboo dustbins stand at every corner, spotless paths are lined with flowers, volunteers sweep the streets at regular intervals and large signboards warn visitors against littering.
A community initiative here mandates that all residents should participate in cleaning up the village!
How beautiful our country will look, if everyone possesses a similar mindset throughout the country.
7. Dharnai, Bihar – The Solar Powered Village
Dharnai becomes the first village in India to completely run on solar power beating 30 years of darkness. With the help of Greenpeace India solar-powered micro-grid in 2014, this Indian village is now empowered with electricity. The solar micro-grid supplies the electricity for homes, street lighting for roads and lanes, and water pumps.
8. Chappar, Haryana – A Village That Distributes Sweets When A Girl Is Born
Even though Haryana is notorious for female feticide, still there is a village called Chappar that celebrates and distribute sweets whenever a girl child is born.
The woman sarpanch of Chappar village Neelam has made it her life’s mission to change the attitude of the villagers towards women and she succeeded. The women of the village do not wear the ‘ghunghat’ (veil) anymore.
9. Pothanikkad, Kerala – A Village With A 100% Literacy Rate
Situated in Kerala, Pothanikkad is the first in the Indian village to achieve 100% literacy rate. St. Mary’s High School is the oldest high school in the village, from where many prominent people in the society have been educated.
10. Kathewadi, Maharashtra – The Village That Has Transformed Itself Into A Model Village
Kathewadi has been transformed into a model village, after it has been adopted by the Art of Living Foundation in Dec 2008. In this village, both rich and poor were addicted to alcohol a lot. However, with the help of Art of Living, alcoholism plunged down to zero percentage.
All the families in the village are associated with the Self Help Groups. They started a donation box scheme which in turn let them set up and maintain a shop without a shopkeeper. The money saved from alcoholism, SHGs and the scheme gave them sufficient economic independence to build toilets for each of the 110 households.
Zero toilets to 110 toilets, 70% alcoholism to 0% alcoholism, a shop with no shopkeeper, a paved road and that too without any external funding!!
Founder, Sri Sri Ravishankar’s teachings are painted on the walls of every home in the village.
