The Rain Trappers

This is by no means a typical drought relief scheme but a unique people’s initiative launched by the MP government this year. For the last four years, chief minister Digvijay Singh’s government has been running a ‘gram sampark abhiyan’ or village contact campaign to acquaint his officials with the situation on the ground in this sprawling state. For seven days, teams visit every nook and corner and collect information on how official schemes are functioning. This year, because the rains have failed for the second successive season, the administration has converted the ‘gram sampark abhiyan’ into a ‘pani roko abhiyan’—trap the water campaign.