Jharkhand: Hope in fields of despair

More than half of the country is dealing with a crippling drought, and farmers are fast losing hope of any relief. Jharkhand was one of the first states to declare a drought, across all its districts, but from a state so stricken by calamity, also comes a story of hope in these times.

Here's the story of a humble villager whose initiative is helping a set of farmers to overcome the tragedy.

Farmers across Jharkhand are grappling with a severe drought with a 43 per cent shortfall in monsoon.

But a cluster of villages near Ranchi is not affected, thanks to 75-year-old Simran Oroan. Fifteen years ago, he built a three-kilometre canal almost single-handedly with no help from the government or other villagers.

"I realised that the villagers were facing a lot of trouble. So I looked for a place to build a canal," said Simran Oraon, a villager.

"Earlier we used to be dependent on the rain gods. But now with the canal, seven villages have benefited," said Baleshwar, a farmer.

Simon's effort is an example of how a little micro-management can vastly improve the lives of farmers during calamities like the drought. The question is - will the government take a leaf out of Simon's enterprise?

Tags: Drought, Farmers

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