Hiware Bazar, the village of millionaires

India is a country with numerous strange villages. With every inch, we discover some secrets that both amaze and surprise us at the same time. One such astonishing village is the Hiware Bazar, which has been famous as the village of millionaires, where more than 50 people are millionaires.

The village of millionaires. Image source- janta power

Most people associate villages with poverty, but this village has altered all those assumptions. Located in the Ahmedabad district of Maharashtra, the Hiware Bazar houses millionaires. The thriving region has succeeded in all spheres; be it education or irrigation, it bustles with economic success.

However, success has not been served on their plates, rather the people of the village have worked for it. Just like any other village, this was also once in the clutches of poverty. It faced droughts and scarcity of rain like the nearby villages. Due to its geographic location, the town was prone to drought, and farmer suicide because of crop failure was not uncommon. The journey from a degraded village to a prosperous one was not easy.

The year 1990 brought prosperity and good luck to the village in the form of a man named Popatrao Baguji Pawar. He was the man behind the flourishing village of millionaires. In 1989, Pawar stood in the Panchayat Elections and came out with flying colours. Since he was elected as the Sarpanch, the entire undergone a complete transformation.

The first step included a ban on several things. Firstly, he put a ban on the chemical and addictive substances that were the main reason for crop failures. Then he banned the tubewells to prevent the exploitation of groundwater. He promoted rainwater harvesting and addressed the water scarcity issue. The number of wells also increased from 90 to 294. The village has never faced a water shortage since then.

The educational system developed. The students were given better and proper education. The elderly were educated on the types of crops they could grow and get the most out of agriculture. The villagers gave up on high water-requiring crops and placed more emphasis on vegetables, fruits, flowers, and pulses. Agriculture held full pace, and it was the main source of income for the villagers.

He also banned deforestation and contributed to the plantation of ten lakhs trees. The village was blooming with lush greenery. From 1995 to 2012, the per capita income increased from 830 to 30,000.

Along with this, it also banned tobacco, grazing, and defecation. Every house had a toilet and used biogas. Electricity was made available throughout the hamlet. Soon, the village had almost no BPL families, no alcohol consumption, and was also mosquito free.

This has made Hiware Bazar one of the richest villages in India. Overcoming all the struggles, the village made its move. The villagers were finally paid off for their efforts and contributions.