February 12, 2025; Indore, Madhya Pradesh (INDIA)
S M Sehgal Foundation, in collaboration with DCB Bank and NIRDPR (National Institute of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj) as the knowledge partner, organized the first workshop under the Second Edition of ‘Jalagam’. The second edition of the Capacity Building and Experience Sharing workshop series focuses on sustainability pathways to community-led rural water security and aims to promote stakeholder convergence to maximize impact.
The first series (2023-24) held regional workshops across four locations stressing community adaptability and sustenance mechanisms addressing water and climate change in Delhi, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh. This year the workshops travel to Indore in Madhya Pradesh, and Bikaner in Rajasthan furthering the dialogue and conversations around water security.
Ms. Anjali Makhija, Trustee & CEO, S M Sehgal Foundation, inaugurated the workshop together with Mr. Nikhil Khanna, Head for three-state branches of DCB Bank, and shared the eight years plus partnerships of DCB Bank and S M Sehgal Foundation on water conservation projects across six states. A knowledge compendium demystifying sustainability pathways to community-led rural water security will be released as an outcome of the second edition.
The workshop received the esteemed presence of Mr. Siddharth Jain, CEO, Zila Panchayat, Indore, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh, among other dignitaries from the government and civil society. Speaking about water security at large, he shared good practices on the ground. The workshop featured cross-sector insights through panel discussions, exploring the long-term sustenance of interventions to make communities water secure and challenges and opportunities in the realm of water security, followed by an Open House celebrating community voices on water issues and solutions.
The first panel was moderated by Mr. Salahuddin Saiphy, S M Sehgal Foundation, and had Dr. Yogesh Kumar, Executive Director, Samarthan; Mr. Nandakumar E, CEO, ICCW; Mr. Shivsingh Rajput, Deputy Director, Govt. of MP and Mr. Mohan Sharma, Executive Director, Development Support Centre as speakers. The next panel moderated by Dr. Ruchira Bhattacharya, NIRD&PR had Padma Shri awardee Mr. Mahesh Sharma, Founder, Shivganga; Mr. Pawan Patidar, BAIF and Mr. Praveen Bhikadiya, Utthan, Gujarat as speakers. Mr. Anoop Nautiyal, Founder, Social Development for Communities (SDC) Foundation, Uttarakhand moderated the Open House, with the sharing of grassroots insights from Er. Milind Pandit and Dr. Swati Samvatsar, Rewakhand Foundation, Indore, and community members.
About ‘Jalagam’ Workshop Series
The ‘Jalagam’ workshop series fosters collaboration and experience-sharing in water resources management and highlights challenges and practices across regions.
DCB Bank supports, collaborates, and works with communities and experts across India, to implement impactful changes in sustainable livelihood, protection of water, and climate change adaptation projects that are sustainable over the long term. Projects with S M Sehgal Foundation pertain to watershed development and creating surface water storage and ponds across six states.
Anjali Makhija, Trustee and CEO, S M Sehgal Foundation shares, “Many villages have benefited from the combined efforts of DCB Bank and S M Sehgal Foundation on water conservation and sustainability. Our partnership with DCB Bank has evolved with time and continues to grow with a footprint across six states.”
DCB Bank Limited and S M Sehgal Foundation formed a partnership in 2017 to embark on community projects focused on water. This collaboration has made a significant impact, benefiting more than thousands of community members across six states, namely Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Telangana, resulting in the harvesting of over 365 million (36 crore) liters of water. The projects include groundwater augmentation through check dams, rejuvenating ponds for surface water storage, and rainwater harvesting units in schools to enable access to drinking water.
About DCB Bank
DCB Bank is a new generation private sector bank with 457 branches (as on 31st Dec 2024) across India. It is a scheduled commercial bank regulated by the Reserve Bank of India.
DCB Bank’s business segments are Retail, Micro-SME, SME, Mid-Corporate, Agriculture, Government, Public Sector, Indian Banks, Co-operative Banks and Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFC). DCB Bank has approximately one million customers. The Bank has a range of products and services including loans, deposits, online and mobile banking services, investment product distribution, bank guarantee and trade finance.
About S M Sehgal Foundation
S M Sehgal Foundation established in 1999 as a public charitable trust strengthens community-led development initiatives to achieve positive social, economic, and environmental change across rural India. Key programs on Water Management, Agriculture Development, Local Participation and Sustainability, and Transform Lives one school at a time are supported by outreach for development and research teams together engaging in interactive dialogues to determine informed actions to achieve sustainable results.
For more information, email: communications@smsfoundation.org
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