Actor Aamir Khan will work to make 30 tehsils of the State drought-free through his NGO Paani Foundation this year.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who on Tuesday launched the second edition of the foundation’s Satyamev Jayate Water Cup competition at Sahyadri guest house, said the actor is unaware of the extent of his influence. Mr. Fadnavis said, “From now on, the kind of work he is doing, the State will know him as Jalsevak. I would also call him Hanuman, because he needs to be reminded of the massive power he has, but isn’t aware of.”
He went on to praise the actor and his past work in the water conservation area, saying that the work done by his organisation was impossible for the government machinery to achieve.
The praise from the BJP-led government’s Chief Minister comes just days after allegations that the party’s IT cell systematically targeted the actor last year, after he talked about his wife not feeling secure in the country. Both Mr. Fadnavis and Mr. Khan, however, had made it clear prior to the press interaction on Tuesday that no questions would be entertained on issues other than water conservation.
Mr. Khan, too, praised Mr. Fadnavis for his commitment towards the cause of eradicating drought from the State. “When we interacted, the passion of the Chief Minister was almost transferred to us. We always wanted to make the Water Cup a people’s movement. Only then will the State become drought-free,” he said.
The pilot edition of the Water Cup was launched in 2016 in three tehsils of the State. “It was a great success. The villages participating in the competition created an annual water storage capacity of 1,368 crore litres. This surely is a new beginning to create a new State and ultimately a new country,” said Satyajit Bhatkal, CEO of Paani Foundation. This year, 30 tehsils from 13 districts have been selected for the competition.
The Water Cup is a competition between different villages to see which of them can do the most work for watershed management and water conservation in the period of the competition: April 8 to May 22, 2017. The top three villages will get a prize of ₹50 lakh, ₹30 lakh and ₹20 lakh, respectively.
