One Woman Sarpanch Rebuilt a Maharashtra Village With 1,16,000 Trees & Solar Power

When Yogeshwari Chatrugan Chaudhary became Dawwa’s first woman sarpanch, she spoke of cleaner fields and secure harvests, not prizes. Later, the village earned honours, including the Climate Action Special Panchayat Award.

Under her watch, farmers tried solar irrigation and mixed crops while women’s self-help groups stepped into decisions on farms and village work.

Better water brought fuller paddy fields, new orchards and healthier cattle. Farm schools gave growers practical lessons in soil, seeds, and savings.

Joining Maharashtra’s Majhi Vasundhara campaign gave Dawwa direction and confidence, and the village won its first Smart Gram Award for making eco-friendly habits part of daily life.

Residents planted more than 116,000 trees, slowly healing scarred land. Waste segregation and compost pits turned everyday rubbish into manure for kitchen gardens.

Solar mini-grids and home systems now light over 400 households, cutting fuel bills and proving that clean energy can run an ordinary rural home.

Some moves met resistance, like the plan for an immersion tank for festival idols, yet Chaudhary held her ground to protect ponds and streams.

Yogeshwari Chaudhary began recording every project with geotagged photos so spending was visible to all, a simple habit that brought trust and attention from outside Dawwa.

The change rested on long village meetings and the steady guidance of former sarpanch Shri Bahekar, who mentored her through the administrative and procedural challenge.

Looking around today, Chaudhary says the hope planted with the saplings has grown into safer incomes and a closer community, things few imagined a decade ago.