On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti (October 02, 2020), as per Mahatma Gandhi’s vision and direction of our honorable Prime Minister Modi Ji, on building self-reliant Bharat through building self-reliant villages, â€˜70@70’ program was formally launched by Union Cabinet Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development and Minister of Food Processing Industries Honorable Shri Narendra Singh Tomar at Boston, MA with hundreds of active participants.  eKisaan foundation, GIBV (Global Indians for Bharat Vikas), and organizations including Jaipur Foot USA, Computer Society of India, Edufront, Friends of MP, India Global, True Tesla Technologies and ATREE, have joined hands together to adopt 70 villages to make them self-reliant villages.   

70 villages are adopted to commemorate PM Modi Ji’s 70th Birthday that will follow the comprehensive WHEELS framework.  WHEELS represent, W – Water for all, H – Health for all, E - Education for all, E- Clean Energy for all, L – Land (Agri) and Housing, and S- Skills development and Employment generation.  In the first phase the focus would be on smart education, smart health, smart agriculture and clean energy, with a special emphasis on making them accessible, affordable and scalable --Mr. Pramit Maakoday explained the Wheels framework. The objective of this program is to educate, engage, and empower our farmers, along with implementing programs in Public-Private Partnership mode.  

Hon. Min Mr. Tomar mentioned that India is a country of villages that have to become Aatma-Nirbhar (Self-reliant) through this program and would also inspire neighboring villages to move towards becoming Self-reliant.  He commended the team for taking this program to make a difference at the grass root level, and this would also inspire others.  Initiatives like this that take advantage of technology and processes would help empower farmers.  This would help people in the villages to. He assured that his ministry will support this project fully at Center and in any state of India. Senior IAS Officer Mr. Ajit Kesari principal secretary Agriculture of M.P. also appreciated the usefulness of these programs for farmers’ welfare and agriculture ecosystem. This comprehensive WHEELS framework will also be implemented outside of India, in Nepal and West Africa. 

The program was presided by Kanchan Banerjee and note of thanks was extended by Srikanta Bhaskara.  Core team for this ‘70@70’ program include Pramit Maakoday, Kanchan Bannerjee, Jyoti Bhowraskar, Sanjeev Tripathi, Srikanta Bhaskara and Manoj Sisodia. 

A brief description of services of other key organizations that are partnering in this venture was also presented. Mr. Prem Bhandari the President of Jaipur Foot USA and the Principal Advisor for this program mentioned that in all these villages disabled people will get the artificial limbs. Mr. Satish Jha, the Principal Advisor for the education initiatives, explained the importance of education for all and how the digital education will help the village kids find the frontiers of their dreams. Computer Society of India President Prof. RK Vyas pledged the support of hundreds of volunteers for 70@70.  Dr. Kamal Bawa world renowned environmentalist from ATREE mentioned that this program helps in increasing farmers’ income and preserving Bio Diversity. 

eKisaan foundation, is a registered not-for-profit organization based in India. eKisaan Foundation’s vision is to educate, engage and empower farmers.  It believes that empowered farmers lead to progressive economy. Global Indians for Bharat Vikas (GIBV) is a not-for-profit organization based in Boston and its mission includes establishing network of volunteers from around the world in organic development of villages and rural ecosystem in India.

TrueTesla Technologies is a Technology Company is having innovations including hydropower and waste to energy plants. TrueTesla Technologies will bring health and educational- programs, clean water technology and innovative fertilizing systems. Indo-US health Initiatives (IUHI) is registered social impact organization based in Boston and its mission is to bring newer technologies, world-class experts, and financial resources to make healthcare for masses affordable, accessible, and reliable. IUHI has a special focus on the Indian rural ecosystem and integrative medicine.

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