Sonia in Jhabua

congress president Sonia Gandhi has lauded the Madhya Pradesh ( mp) government's efforts in converting the once barren landscape of Jhabua district into a green belt. Addressing a mammoth crowd in the district recently Gandhi said: "When I visited the area with Rajiv Gandhi in 1985, the whole area was barren and bereft of greenery. But thanks to the Rajiv Gandhi watershed mission, the district has become green.'

Jhabua has set an example for other drought-prone districts in the country, she added. "The implementation of Panchayati Raj has helped realise the dream and vision of Rajiv Gandhi,' she said. It has helped the people at grassroots level and ensured the participation of people in development activities.

According to Wasim Akhtar, district magistrate, Jhabua, local people accorded a warm welcome to the Congress president. They also explained how they have been able to reclaim the degraded land through the participatory approach in the watershed development activities. On the occasion, Digvijay Singh, chief minister of mp , recalled the attachment of Nehru-Gandhi family with Jhabua district. He said the district had achieved success due to the effective implementation of Rajiv Gandhi watershed mission.