Padmashree to Laxman Singh of Jaipur

Laxman Singh, a resident of Lapodia in Jaipur district, who changed the picture of ponds and pastures with the Chowka technique to save water, has been awarded the Padma Shri. President Draupadi Murmu honoured Laxman Singh with the Padma Shri at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. On January 25 this year, it was announced to give Padma Shri to four personalities of Rajasthan including Laxman Singh. In the field of arts, Jaipur's Ahmed Hussain and Mohammad Hussain, and in social service, Laxman Singh and Moolchand Lodha were announced to be given Padma Shri. Only Laxman Singh had arrived from Rajasthan for the function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Laxman Singh is a resident of Lapodia village of Dudu in the Jaipur district. He has been awarded the Padma Shri for his significant contribution to the field of saving water and the environment for the last 40 years. Laxman Singh changed the picture of more than 50 villages with the technique of saving water and the campaign launched for it. Laxman Singh recharged the ponds with the Chowka technique to save water, saving the pastures.
Laxman Singh first started the Chowka technique to save water from his village Lapodia. To take this work forward, the cooperation of Lapodia Youth Club was taken. First of all, by recharging the water in the pond of his own village, he made the pasture green. Within no time, the Lapodia model started being discussed in the surrounding villages as well. After this, Laxman Singh started a public awareness campaign for saving water and the development of pastures in other villages through the Lapodia Navyuvak Manual.
Laxman Singh saved water in the rural areas with the Chauka technique and also planted trees and plants, due to which there was no shortage of water in the rural areas during the famine. Along with this, Laxman Singh Khangarot Lapodia also got the breed of cows improved in 100 villages of the area along with environmental protection and development of pasture land.
When Laxman Singh was studying in class 10th, he got inclined towards saving water. Seeing the famine, the idea of saving water and saving pastures came to his mind. Inspire people for this. A breed improvement campaign was also launched for cows. His main focus was on saving small ponds and pastures. Due to his campaign, more than 50 villages got benefited. When there was a famine in the area, in 1977, he started making people aware of water conservation by doing shramdaan for environmental protection and water conservation. In 1987, Gram Vikas Navayuvak Mandal started taking out Earth Jatan Yatra through Lapodia which is still going on.