Feti’s fantastic flight to glory

By Vikas Vaidya,

What does she get to learn in her school? Manjusha Vijay Maske, a second standard girl of E-Anganwadi at Fetri village, with shy smile replies, “Everything!” 
Does her teacher read out the things on the blackboard to the students? “No! The board says all the things, we get to see it and listen,” comes the reply from that little child. Manjusha learns in E-anganwadi set up in Fetri, a village adopted by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, just 20 km away from Nagpur.

Fetri is a recent example of how a small village can be transformed into a fantastic livable place if a powerful politician adopts it and lets it grow in a different way. Fadnavis adopted it responding to the call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had asked all MLAs, MLCs, MPs in the country to adopt one village and develop it. 
Fetri has all amenities being developed, including, state of the art hospital, e-Anganwadi, posh administrative office, good infrastructure. The village has good cement roads, it is 100% free of open defecation. The village also has set up a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) where compost is made out of wet waste. Greenery is visible all over the village including crematorium too.

From the main road going towards Katol, when one takes right turn, a good cement road with houses on both sides welcomes the visitors. The road goes straight towards new grampanchayat. Most of the buildings are constructed including administration office, e-anganwadi, library, waste to compost plant. State of the art hospital, Zilla Parishad school, Samaj Bhavan are under construction. A huge board ‘Ma. Mukhyamantri Devendra Fadnavis Yanche Dattak Grampanchayat Karyalaya Fetri’ attracts everybody’s attention. This posh office housed with well-equipped chambers of President, Sarpanch, Secretary, Talathi, a good looking office with computer on the tables has all facilities.

Visit of Amruta Fadnavis MLA Sameer Meghe to the Science laboratory developed in ZP School in Fetri

Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) and Hingna MLA Sameer Meghe have taken well care that nothing should be left unturned as far as villagers’ needs are concerned. For example, apart from providing various facilities, a training programme too has been started by Grampanchayat which is run by Urja Mitra Prashikshan Kendra of Mumbai. The Kendra provides information about various employment opportunities to the youths of the village. Interested youths are provided three months training at Mumbai that would make them become eligible to get jobs.

Normally, a village boy or a girl do not develop much liking for science till they join city school or college. This lacuna is well noticed by Chief Minister and in association with Parasmal Pagaria Foundation Trust science laboratory has started functioning in ZP school. Here students and teachers spend lot of time doing experiments.
Vijay Gomase, a villager of Walni who works at the site told ‘The Hitavada’, “Most of the villagers spent their time discussing unnecessary things after finishing their work in the evening. Now the library developed in the village has brought drastic change. People visit the library, read books, newspapers. Number of youths making use of library has risen. It is a good change.”

Cleanliness is another aspect that is haunting all over the country. The awareness has come but some steps are needed to be taken by administration and that issue is addressed in a well manner in Fetri. Cleanliness has become common sight here. With the help of Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT), STP has been set up where waste water treated and used for watering the trees. Trees have grown up in Crematorium too to make the last journey more pleasant.

Fadnvais had started the development in the village after taking over as Chief Minister. After much of the development in Fetri, his party Bhartiya Janata Party had to bite the dust in Grampanchayat election. Lot of criticism came from various section as it was adopted by Chief Minister himself. But that did not have any effect on the momentum of growth in Fetri. In fact Dhanashri Dhomne, a Sarpanch of Fetri who belongs to Congress also came out in support of Fadnavis saying that calculations of Grampanchayat elections were different. Though Chief Minister do not have much time to take stock of everything everytime, his wife Amruta has been playing vital role. Finding time out of her work she keeps visiting the place. All said and done Fetri is on the path of becoming fantastic.