Rajasthan’s Village Receives New 111 Trees with the Birth of Each Girl Child

Every morning, the newspapers, greet us with new stories on girls being killed, raped,
tormented or treated as a doormat, in some way is this time coming with good news as well.

One such village is Rajsamand district in southern Rajasthan that is quietly practising its Eco-
feminism homegrown brand and achieving spectacular results.

The Panchayat of Piplantri village for many years now is saving girl children and also is
working towards increasing the in and around green cover. Villagers here every time with a
birth of the girl in the community ensure to plant 111 trees such that the trees grow and attain
fruition as the girls grow up.

In the past six years, people have planted more than quarter million trees on the grazing
commons of the village and the trees include neem, mango, Sheesham, amla and many others.

Every year, 60 girls are born on an average every year and this was initiated by Shyam
Sundar Paliwal, the former sarpanch of the village. He did this in the memory of his daughter
Kiran, who did a few years ago.

He also said, half the cases are such that parents are not ready to accept girl children and them
identify such families with the help of village school principal with Anganwadi and
Panchayat members. They collect Rs.21, 000 from the residents of the village and Rs.10, 000
from the girl’s parents, thereby making a contribution of Rs.31, 000 in a fixed deposit for a
period of 20 years.

They also make the parents of the girl sign an affidavit that they will not marry her before her
legal age will take care of the planted trees that are in her name and will send her to school,
said Mr Paliwal.