In Rajasthan, hockey wali Sarpanch runs a campaign on ‘Garbage Free Marriage Functions’

Jaipur (Rajasthan) : Neeru Yadav, sarpach of Lambi Ahir in Tehsil Buhana, Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, is also known as Hockey Wali Sarpanch because of the positive change she has initiated to decrease food waste at weddings. She has recently taken the initiative to launch a novel campaign in her rural community called “Garbage Free Marriage Functions.” When it comes to weddings and other social gatherings in her village, she always pitches in with free stainless steel cooking and serving utensils.

In addition, she has organised a group to collect the food scraps and turn them into manure, which they then sell to farmers at an individual rate. The goal is to reduce single-use plastics, disposables, and bottles in order to keep the village clean, maximise the utilisation of available resources, and reuse or recycle food scraps.

“Food Waste is the biggest trouble in our country,” said Neeru Yadav, Sarpanch of Lambi Ahir in Tehsil Buhana, Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. It has a negative impact on the natural world, social life, and the economy. Waste and inefficient storage methods account for a large portion of the difference between agricultural output and human consumption. This is something I’ve observed in my hometown, particularly at weddings and other community gatherings. Our all-female volunteer group came up with the idea of keeping a stock of steel cooking and serving utensils in a central location in the village, where they can be reserved by anyone who needs them, for free.

UNEP’s (United Nations Environment Programme) Food Waste Index Report 2021 reports food waste of 1 billion tonnes globally every year. As per this report, India ranks 2nd in the world with food waste of 50 kilos per person per year after China. If we consider overall garbage including food waste, the country is facing massive waste management challenge. Over 377 million urban people living in 7935 towns and cities and generate 62 million tonnes of municipal solid waste per annum.

Sarpanch, Neeru Yadav’s initiative has made a small difference in the Lambi Ahir village and if the same campaign gets replicated to whole state, whole country and whole world, one can assume the change this idea can bring!

Neeru Yadav is the first young Sarpanch of Lambi Ahir, Tehsil Buhana, Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. The Lambi Ahir is a village having Yadavs in majority and closer to Haryana boarder. Local residents started calling her a Hockey Wali Sarpanch from the day she created a Women Hockey Team at her village. She donated her salary and created a fund for arranging dedicated playground, hockey kits, uniforms and a hockey coach in her village. She keeps motivating these girl players by arranging the inter-city and inter-state hockey competitions. Empowering the girl hockey players, Neeru Yadav has set an example for the other women of the village to come out of social clutters and do something extraordinary.

Neeru Yadav also supports in the education and skill development of the village girls. She has also trained 10 girls under PMKVY Scheme and helped to get job placements to all these girls in MNCs. Following this successful project, around 15 more girls have joined Neeru Yadav for skill development training and soon a new batch will get started.