Senior actor Nana Patekar, who made a mark with his powerful acting on screen, will always be remembered not only as an actor but also as a social activist working for farmers and rural Maharashtra. Troubled by the problem of drought, water scarcity and farmer suicides in Maharashtra, he founded 'NAAM Foundation' with actor Makarand Anaspure in 2015. This journey that started with the help of farmer families later turned into a big movement for water saving and rural development.
During 2014–15, many parts of Maharashtra were hit by drought. When incidents of farmer suicides were coming to light, Nana Patekar took the initiative to help these families. Initially, the focus was on providing financial and psychological support to the families of farmers who committed suicide. However, after realizing that financial support alone is not a long-term solution, 'NAAM' started working on the root of the water problem.
Keeping this in mind, priority was given to saving water, blocking and retaining water in soil, rehabilitating rivers and streams, desilting, repairing canals, creating farm ponds and increasing groundwater levels. The organization also stressed on telling the farmers how to use stored water and groundwater in a balanced manner.
According to NAM Foundation, between 2015 and 2025, the organization revived 2,246 water sources. 178 rivers were revitalized, 515 drains and springs were deepened and widened, and 769 percolation ponds were revived. The organization claims that this work created a capacity to store a total of 40,847 crore liters of water. The organization said that more than 77.17 lakh farmers have directly benefited from these works and 33.69 lakh hectares of land has come under irrigation.
Also read-
India strongly condemns Houthi attack on Saudi airport