Nagpur: Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari will spearhead a major campaign for a farmer suicide-free Vidarbha through a two-day water conservation conclave in Nagpur on May 17 and 18, with actor Aamir Khan of Paani Foundation and actors Nana Patekar and Makarand Anaspure of Naam Foundation set to participate.The event marks silver jubilee of Purti Sinchan Samruddhi Kalyankari Sanstha, which has been working to alleviate problems faced by farmers. Addressing reporters on Sunday, Gadkari said thousands of farmers in Vidarbha died by suicide over the years due to water scarcity, lack of irrigation and crop uncertainty, and that water conservation remained the only sustainable solution. “The amount of rainfall is not in our hands, but water conservation certainly is,” he said.Gadkari advocated creation of a water grid or river-linking system to transfer excess floodwater from water-rich regions to drought-prone areas, pointing out that many rivers overflow during monsoon while several parts of Vidarbha simultaneously suffer severe scarcity. “The mission that all of us have chosen together, to end farmer suicides in Vidarbha, I request you all to cooperate in accomplishing that mission,” he said.The conclave will feature two events. The Nagpur Jalsamvad 2026 on May 17 at Dr Vasantrao Deshpande Hall, begins at 4 pm and will focus on water conservation as a solution to farmer suicides. Padma Bhushan Dr Anil Prakash Joshi, Padma Shri awardees Umashankar Pandey and Sethpal Singh, and state ministers Ashish Jaiswal and Pankaj Bhoyar will attend. Jalkranti Parishad on May 18 at Kavivarya Suresh Bhat Sabhagruha, begins at 10 am and will see actors Aamir Khan, Nana Patekar and Makarand Anaspure join state soil and water conservation minister Sanjay Rathod, Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (PDKV) VC Dr Sharad Gadakh, and Gondwana University VC Dr Prashant Bokare. Farmers and sarpanchs from Vidarbha are expected to attend in large numbers. An expo featuring models ranging from small check dams to large-scale conservation projects will also be on display.Gadkari highlighted the sanstha’s Tamsawada Pattern, which revived a near-dead 12-km stream in Selu taluka, bringing over 10,000 hectares under irrigation and making more than 60 villages drought-free, with direct benefits to nearly 1 lakh citizens. He also cited Buldhana Pattern, under which 35 farm ponds were created at PDKV (Akola), by supplying soil for National Highway 53 construction, saving govt an estimated Rs30 crore. Referring to Buldhana-Ajanta region, where nearly 17,000 people once migrated every summer due to drought, Gadkari said farmers there now grow multiple crops annually following river deepening and dam expansion works.(Inputs by Dewaki Moharil)
