Question

What was the biggest problem at Hiware Bazar village in Ahmednagar district?
A.Water Shortage
B.Cleanliness
C.Social disputes
D.None of these

Answer 1

Hint: Hiware Bazar village is a Nagar taluka in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra. Over the years, it has become a model for India’s impoverished villages to emulate. In 1990, a resident named Popatrao Pawar returned to Hiware Bazar after completing his M.Com from Pune to try and build a career in local politics. After he was elected Sarpanch, he drew up a five-year development plan that included a ban on felling trees (kurhad bandi), a ban on free grazing (charai bandi), a ban on liquor (nasha bandi) and family planning (nasbandi)

Complete step by step solution:
Option A: is correct. The village was located in a drought-prone area and was facing a crippling water shortage. The state government’s drought relief program had not proved to be helpful and the problem turned worse due to deforestation and environmental degradation in the area. After Pawar’s election in 1990, a holistic development plan was drawn up prioritising adequate water supply. Within a few years, the watershed was regenerated and the groundwater level and small scale irrigation in the village increased. This resulted in a rise in the agricultural produce as well.
Options B, C and D: are incorrect.

Thus, option (A) is correct.

Note: In terms of economic development, between 1991 and 2014, the number of families below the poverty line has decreased from 168 to 3 and the number of landless farmers has declined from 22 to 6. The per-capita income has increased from Rs 832 in 1991 to Rs30,000 in 2014.