India’s Richest Village: Hiware Bazaar’s Journey from Poverty to Prosperity Through Water Conservation and Unity
India's Richest Village: Hiware Bazaar's Journey from Poverty to Prosperity Through Water Conservation and Unity
Hiware Bazaar, a village in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district, is now known as one of India’s richest villages. With a population of just over 1,250, the village has 305 families, of which 80 are millionaires. Additionally, 50 families earn over ₹10 lakh annually. Remarkably, agriculture is the primary source of income.
However, the village wasn’t always prosperous. In the 1980s and 1990s, severe droughts pushed 90% of the families into poverty. Many villagers migrated to cities in search of food and work. By 1990, the situation had worsened drastically.
The turnaround began in 1990 when the villagers united to form the Joint Forest Management Committee. Through this initiative, they focused on water conservation by digging wells, planting trees, and banning high-water-consuming crops. Their efforts paid off. The village now boasts over 300 wells, and the groundwater level has risen to just 30 feet.
Today, all families in Hiware Bazaar earn their livelihood through agriculture. The per capita income in the village is double the national rural average of ₹890 per month. Villagers have stopped migrating, and many who left have returned.
Sarpanch Popatrao Pawar played a key role in the transformation. His leadership introduced seven guiding principles for the village. The Panchayat also encourages innovative farming techniques that boost income. Hiware Bazaar’s success even earned praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Mann Ki Baat address on April 24, 2020. Modi lauded the village’s water conservation efforts and their crop pattern shift.
This inspiring story is a testament to how collective effort and determination can bring dramatic change, motivating other villages to follow Hivare Bazaar’s path to self-sufficiency.
