Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], February 6 (ANI/PNN): Known as Hockey Wali Sarpanch, Neeru Yadav the Sarpach of Lambi Ahir, Tehsil Buhana, Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan; has initiated a positive change towards reducing the food waste in the marriages. In her recent initiative, she has started a unique campaign in her village called 'Garbage Free Marriage Functions'. She provides free steel utensils for cooking and serving for any marriage functions in her village for marriage and other social functions.

In addition, she has also created a team that collects food waste and converts it into manure for selling on piecemeal rates to farmers. The purpose is to reduce the garbage of disposables, plastics, bottles for keeping the village clean and utilizing the natural resources at its best and recycling the food waste.

Neeru Yadav, Sarpanch of Lambi Ahir, Tehsil Buhana, Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, said "Food Waste is the biggest trouble in our country. It badly affects the environment, social living and the economy. The gap between the food produced and consumed is due to food waste and poor management. I noticed this in our village, especially during marriage functions and other social gatherings. Our volunteer women team came up with a solution of providing free steel utensils for cooking and serving in marriages and other social functions in free to use and store them in a central place of the village so anyone can book them for re-use."

UNEP's (United Nations Environment Programme) Food Waste Index Report 2021 reports food waste of 1 billion tonnes globally every year. As per this report, India ranks 2nd in the world with food waste of 50 kilos per person per year after China. If we consider overall garbage including food waste, the country is facing a massive waste management challenge. Over 377 million urban people live in 7935 towns and cities and generate 62 million tonnes of municipal solid waste per annum.

Sarpanch, Neeru Yadav's initiative has made a small difference in the Lambi Ahir village and if the same campaign gets replicated to the whole state, the whole country and the whole world, one can assume the change this idea can bring!

Neeru Yadav is the first young Sarpanch of Lambi Ahir, Tehsil Buhana, Jhunjhunu, and Rajasthan. The Lambi Ahir is a village having Yadavs in the majority and closer to the Haryana boarder. Local residents started calling her a Hockey Wali Sarpanch from the day she created a Women's Hockey Team in her village. She donated her salary and created a fund for arranging a dedicated playground, hockey kits, uniforms and a hockey coach in her village. She keeps motivating these girl players by arranging inter-city and inter-state hockey competitions. Empowering the girl hockey players, Neeru Yadav has set an example for the other women of the village to come out of social clutters and do something extraordinary.

Neeru Yadav also supports the education and skill development of the village girls. She has also trained 10 girls under PMKVY Scheme and helped to get job placements for all these girls in MNCs. Following this successful project, around 15 more girls have joined Neeru Yadav for skill development training and soon a new batch will get started.

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