“Namami Devi Narmade” – Seva Yatra completes 100 days today

Bhopal: Like a whiff of cool breeze amidst the burning environmental issues, the “Namami Devi Narmade” – Seva Yatra has drawn the attention of the whole world towards it. The Yatra which started from Amarkantak in Anuppur district on December 11, 2016 celebrated its ‘Shatak Divas’ at the 15th district Sehore today on March 28.

The Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan took part in the Yatra practically on every third day on an average which is a unique record in itself. Gyani Dilip Singh and Dr. A.S. Bhalla of Gwalior along with 100 Sikh representatives will take part in the Jan-Samvad programme to be held in Nandner in Sehore district today.

The Yatra has so far covered a distance of 2465 kilometers in 99 days. This includes 48 development blocks, 591 villages and 409 gram panchayats. Nearly 16 lakh 88 thousand people took part in 591 Jan-Samvad programmes organized during the Yatra. About 1052 Up-Yatras merged with the main Yatra from nearby areas. So far 74 thousand and 174 Narmada Sevaks have got themselves registered on the website.

Famous Personalities Who Joined The Yatra
Among those famous personalities who have taken part in the Yatra so far include Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Vidhan Sabha Speaker M.P. Dr. Sitasaran Sharma, Avdheshanand Giri Maharaj, Chidanand Swami, Bhaiyyaji Joshi, Environmentalist Rajendra Singh, Sant Sukhdevanand, Sant Vivekji, Sadhvi Pragya Bharati, Swami Kalyandas, Hariharanand Saraswati, Pandit Dev Prabhakar Shastri, Shankaracharya of Bhanpura Peeth Divyanand Teerth, Swami Rambhushan Das, Actor Ashutosh Rana, Sant Balvir Singh Seenchewal, Swami Girishanand, Nobel prize winner Kailash Satyarthi, Ravishankar Maharaj, Rawatpura Sarkar, Union Minister of State Faggan Singh Kulaste, Archbishop Leo Cornelio, Sant Sudesh Shandilya, Film Producer Prakash Jha, Padmashri Vijaydutt Shridhar, famous singers Ramakant and Umakant Gundecha, Litterateur Rameshchandra Shah, Film actor Govind Namdev, Dr. Vishal Messi, Dr. Arun Joshi, Litterateur Mahesh Shrivastava, Ramesh Chandra Agrawal, Sant Devakinandan Thakur, Swami Pragyanand, Father Maria Stephen, Ompal Singh Nidar, Sri Sri 1008 Ramdas Maharaj, Actor Raja Bundela, Dr. A.K. Merchant, Dr Khwaja Iftequar Ahmed, Premnath Arya, Jose Kalathil, Krishna Dhyananand, Swami Aishwaryanand Saraswati, Swami Nirvikaranand, Padma Bhushan Swami Tejomayanand, Sadhvi Ritambhara, Litterateur Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi, Dr. Subodh Sharma, well-known singer Anup Jalota, Suresh Khanapurkar, Baba Ramdev, Acharya Lokesh Muni, singer Smt. Anuradha Paudwal, Maulana Lukman Tarapuri, Dr. S.N. Subbarao, Commodore Sarvottam Rao, Pundarik Maharaj, Swami Shivanand Saraswati, Actor Anupam Kher, Union Minister Thawarchand Gehlot, Hriday Giri Maharaj, Mouni Baba, playback singer Smt. Alka Yagnik, Actor Manish Tiwari, Raghuvir Yadav, Pasha Patel, Mukesh Tiwari, 25-member research team of TERI University, 25 youths from N.S.S., singer Smt. Penaz Masani, TIS Director Dr. Parashuraman, Professor Shalini, Srinivas Vaduri, Lian Chin Dou, Mangesh Krishnasagar, Gauhar Asif, Alankrita Goswami, Smt. Essel, Mohan Bhagwat, Buddha religious leader Dalai Lama, Pandit Kamal Kishore Nagar, Smt. Suchitra Harmalkar, Sudhanshu Maharaj, Lakhvir Singh Lakkha, Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev, Film Actor Vivek Oberoi, Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Shahnawaz Hussain, Swami Kapri, Environmentalist Smt. Sunita Narayan, Murari Bapu etc. 522 people’s representatives, saints, social workers, film artistes and subject experts.

Chief Minister Takes Part in Yatra at 34 places
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan along with several stalwarts took part in Jan-Samvad programmes organised at Ramghat-Amarkantak, Bondar and Karanjiya, Gadasarai, Dindori, Chabi, Ramnagar-Mandla, Ghansore-Seoni, Bargi Nagar Harduli-Jabalpur, Brahmakund Gotegaon-Narsinghpur, Sandiya Sangakhedakhurd, Sethani Ghat-Hoshangabad, Handiya, Karanpura-Harda, Singaji, Purni/Hanuvantiya, Omkareshwar-Khandwa, Navdatoudi, Nao Ghat, Khedi-Khargone, Nemawar-Dewas, Turnal-Sehore, Chhipaner, Mandi, Bavri, Anwali Ghat, Holipura, Budni Ghat, Shahganj, Sudaniya and Jait Ghat.

Prestigeous Personalities Expected to take part in Yatra
Among those who have given their approval to take part in the Yatra in the coming days are Union Minister Smt. Uma Bharati, Jagatguru Shankaracharya Swaroopanand, Bhayyuji Maharaj, Popatrao Pawar, Swami Shanmukhanand, Kamalanand Maharaj, Sadguru Swami Krishnanand, Narmada Litterateur Amritlal Vegad, Divyanand Teerth, Swami Satyamitranand, Gyan Swaroop Sanand, Swami Samvit Somgiri, Danseuse Smt. Sonal Mansingh, Pranav Pandya, Swami Muktanand, Swami Vidyanand Saraswati, Anna Hazare, Smt. Rohini Chaturvedi, Actor Manoj Bajpayee, Bharat Bhushan Garg, Ghazal singer Talat Aziz, Padmabhushan Vishwamohan Bhatt, Arun Jain, Actor Tom Alter, Swami Haribhakt Prayan Prakash, Satpal Maharaj, Acharya Dheerajanand Avdhut, Acharya Gunindranand Avdhut, singer Kailash Kher, UNICEF Chief Louis Georges Arsenault, Sadhvi Mandakini, Musician Pandit Jasraj, Smt. Durga Jasraj etc.
So far there has been symbolic plantation of 37 thousand 349 saplings. Forest Department has started plantation in more than one lakh 44 thousand and 377 hectare area through one lakh 18 thousand and 85 agriculturist families in 16 districts of 882 villages on both banks of the Narmada. Nearly 148 lakh saplings of Sagoun, Khamer, Siris, Bamboo, Anwala, Mahua, Neem, Jamun and Drum Stciks of more than three feet height are available in the research expansion nurseries. The Horticulture Department will plant 5000 saplings of fruit-bearing trees in the year 2016-17 and 20,000 each in 2016-17 and the year 2018-19 respectively.

619 Narmada Seva Samitis Constituted
Jan Abhiyan Parishad is getting Letters of Pledge filled by workers and social leaders related to Gram Vikas Prasphutan Samiti and Mukhya Mantri Samudayik Netratva Kshamata Vikas Pathyakram. So far 16 lakh 88 thousand people have resolved towards Narmada conservation and deaddiction. At least 619 Narmada Seva Samitis have been constituted in the gram panchayats close to the banks of the Narmada. Nearly 2000 social institutions and voluntary organizations are extending their support in providing food and making other arrangements.

Initiative to form Narmada Seva Mission
State Government is constituting Narmada Seva Mission for the conservation and promotion of Narmada. The work of collection and documentation of the ancient traditional system of water, river and vegetation conservation is being undertaken by National Innovative Foundation, Ahmedabad through Madhya Pradesh Council of Science and Technology.

Narmada Yatra will bring about many innovations with its public awareness of water-cleanliness. From next year liquor shops on the banks of the Narmada will be closed down, there will be organic farming on the banks, changing rooms and place for last rites would be constructed. Toilets would be constructed in all houses that have no toilets, concrete shops, sewage plants would be constructed and trees would be planted on both government and private land on both the banks of the Narmada.

Rs 5,000 each to Dancers Group
Rs 5000 each to the dancers groups that took part in the Yatra and Rs 1,000 each to girls for their Narmada song would be given from the Mukhya Mantri Swechchanudan. The dancers group include Baiga group, Dhurkuta, Narmada Sangh Kirtan Mandali Harratola, Jagaran Mandali Dindori, Adivasi Dhuliya tribe, Gudum team Patpara, Gudum Baja group Chouramal, Gond Shaila group Barsod, Gudum Party and group Udri, Adivasi Sanskritik Gudum group Medhakhar, Shaila dancers Lalpur, Gudum Lok Nritya Mandali Lalpur, Bal Mandali (Police department De-addiction), Dindori, Natak Mandali Kanya Kasturba Shala Dindori.-WTN