Mahatma Gandhi once said, “India lives in its villages.” But, most villages in our agro-based economy are still plagued by poverty, lack of education, sanitation, etc. However, Pendyala Prasad, a software engineer, is making a difference.
The 40-year-old from Hyderabad has decided to turn Lakshminagar village in Telangana state, into a model village. “I come from Chirala, Prakasam District. Drinking water issues, sanitation problems and a lack of educational infrastructure are some of the issues that small towns face. Each year, I donate up to five per cent of my earnings towards charity, but I wanted to do something more. After discussing with my family, I decided to develop Lakshminagar, which is 94 km away from Hyderabad,” says Prasad.
In the past three-and-a-half years, Prasad has completed 19 successful projects in Lakshminagar, with the help of the government. These include installing a drinking water treatment plant, a solid waste management yard, soak pits, cement roads, solar street lights and much more.
Apart from the financial aid that he receives from the government, Prasad has spent over one lakh on various projects and has even introduced farmers to organic farming.
“I could not have done it by myself. The villagers were helpful, as was the government. Even a few NGOs have helped me over a period of time,” says Prasad, adding, “Our main focus now is to provide digital literacy to everyone in the village.”
Prasad has faced quite a few challenges. “Making people feel responsible towards society is a Herculean task. People want work done and enjoy the benefits, but don’t want to help out.”
Recalling one such incident, he says, “Recently, we started the ‘Lakshminagar Pragati Centre’, a development centre for education, women empowerment and other things. Although I requested a few people from the village to oversee the work during the week, people hardly turned up. Even during the construction of my first project, a water treatment plant, many objected and told me that the project was unrealistic, but I didn’t give up.”
