They prepare over 1.03 crore seed balls in nine days by sourcing soil, seed and other material
After the preparation of over 1.03 crore seed balls in a ‘record’ time of nine days by 69,200 women of the self-help groups (SHGs), the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) of Mahabubnagar has set its sight on Guinness World Record as the authorities launched the broadcasting of these seed balls on Thursday.
As part of the sixth phase of Haritha Haram programme, the Mahabubnagar district authorities have taken to broadcasting the seed balls in different methods including dropping them through drones and bombing (throwing) physically on the barren hillocks, government lands and forest areas with the plan to complete it in 10 days. Minister for Excise V. Srinivas Goud launched the seed balls’ broadcasting on the Veerannapeta hillocks in Mahabubnagar using a couple of drones.
Trial run of dropping of the seed balls through drones was conducted a few days back with the help of a Hyderabad-based agency. On Thursday, two drones were used for seed ball dropping, while another one was used for filming the exercise. The officials of DRDA have uploaded the nomination on seed balls preparation on the Guinness World Records website and it is expected to take about six weeks’ time for a technical team of the agency to analyse and authenticate it. About 69,200 women of the 5,880 SHGs in 284 villages have taken up the challenge given by the district administration to prepare one crore seed balls in 10 days, but they have completed the task in nine days itself, District Project Manager A. Nagamallika said.
“Whenever there is a huge task, the district administration looks only towards the SHGs. In April, the SHG women were given the task of preparing face masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) kits in large numbers with just a couple of days training and they have come out with flying colours providing masks and PPE kits,” Ms. Nagamallika said, explaining the mettle of the SHG women.
According to the DRDA official who was in-charge of the seed ball preparation exercise, the SHG women prepared over 20.65 lakh neem, 19.92 lakh tamarind, 17.21 lakh custard apple, 9.22 lakh banyan, 8.95 lakh juvvi (ficus virens), 8.85 lakh raavi (sacred fig), 8.23 lakh babool (acacia arabica), 7.82 lakh medi (cluster fig) and 2.4 lakh others totalling to over 1.03 crore seed balls by sourcing red soil and cattle dung locally and seed from other parts of the State.