Shri Prasana Prabhu, Chairman of Vyakti Vikas Kendra India, The Art of Living, has been honored with the Aakhri Boond appreciation token by the Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Hon. Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, for the organization’s dedicated efforts towards water conservation through the JalTara Project.
In a recent session of the ‘Capital Dialogue’ series, Shri Prasana Prabhu received the Aakhri Boond appreciation token for The Art of Living’s exemplary work in water conservation. The session’s theme, “Unleashing India’s Waterways,” highlighted the government’s commitment to addressing the impending water crisis and ensuring access to sufficient water for households. Hon. Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the Union Minister for Jal Shakti, commended The Art of Living’s Social Projects Team for their significant contributions to this cause.
The JalTara Project was launched in December 2019 with the inauguration by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Union Cabinet Minister, Hon. Shri Gajendra Shekhawat, at The Art of Living Ashram in Bengaluru. During the event, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar emphasized the importance of restoring native species of trees along riversides to improve water tables. He highlighted the need to replace non-native water-intensive species with indigenous varieties through afforestation efforts.
Over the past four years, the Aakhri Boond initiative has yielded commendable results, largely due to the dedicated volunteers of The Art of Living. The project has made significant contributions to improving India’s water situation and has focused on rejuvenating 70 rivers and streams across eight states in the country.
Through the project, over 90,500 groundwater recharge structures have been established, and more than 700,000 trees have been planted. These conservation efforts have positively impacted an area spanning 59,000 square kilometers and have benefited over 34.5 million people residing in 19,400 villages. The revival of previously dried-up rivers, which now flow perennially, and the visible improvement in groundwater levels are among the achievements of the initiative.
The Art of Living continues to relentlessly pursue its mission to ensure the successful scaling of the project across various regions of India. As a non-profit, educational, and humanitarian organization, The Art of Living, founded by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in 1981, collaborates closely with the Government of India to alleviate water scarcity through its various water conservation projects.
