Mumbai Climate Week 2026: Bela Gram emerges as Maharashtra’s first net-zero village through panchayat leadership

Bela Gram in the Bhandara district of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, India’s first net-zero panchayat, was highlighted during the Mumbai Climate Week 2026 on Thursday (February 19, 2026), reflecting that panchayat leadership plays a vital role in shaping localised climate action and combating climate change. 

“Climate change is first felt by common people in daily routines; in the food you grow, water you fetch. The impacts are visible when it affects health. So, for us, climate action begins at home, when the Panchayat guides, people participate, and change starts,” said Sharada Gaydhane, the Sarpanch of Bela Gram, who led the initiatives to make her village a net-zero panchayat. 

Bela Gram panchayat planted more than 90.000 trees during weddings and festivals. It also advocated for a smooth energy transition from smoky chulhas to LPG, installed solar panels at homes, anganwadis, and Panchayat offices. “We also promoted waste segregation at doorsteps and achieved the vanishing of single-use plastics,” said Ms. Sharada Gaydhane, who was twice-elected Sarpanch and a recipient of the Vasundhara awardee.

Bela became Maharashtra’s first net-zero village, receiving the 2024 Rashtriya Panchayat Puraskar. Ms. Sharada Gaydhane, in her blue saree and fixing her glasses, says, “Waste can be converted into wealth if thought properly.” 

Ms. Sharada Gaydhane’s story reflects that the panchayat leadership could be a driving force to implement climate action plans, which also became the focus of the panel discussion “From the frontline: Panchayats leading India’s climate change” at Mumbai Climate Week 2026, bringing in voices of panchayat-level leadership, who has brought change in their villages from six States including Karnataka, Kerala, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha.

“Bringing out this stories to put light on local and evidence-based solutions to implement long-term climate action plans considering the socio-economic and climate realities,” said Arindam Banerjee, co-founder and partner, Policy & Development Advisory Group (PDAG), hoping that Conference of the Parties (CoP) will help drive a uniform nationwide local climate action platform by 2028 with the proposed global CoP33 to be held in India.

Stories of resilience 

K.K. Sachith from Kerala’s Perinjanam reflected how his village became Solar Gramam. “With the funding from different sources, Panchayat got free solar, and today, after eight years, 850 households are rooftop prosumers, bills cut 80%, emissions reduced at scale. Solar now integrates with new homes,” said Mr. Sachith. Perinjanam won the 2019 Akshaya Oorja and MediaOne Maha panchayat awards for community-led renewables. 

Mr. Sachith concluded, saying, “Development should not disturb the balance of nature. The government should make solar rooftops compulsory for new buildings. This will help India become people-centric.”

Jharkhand’s Ramvriksh Murmu, Sarpanch of Siyari, belonging to the Birhor Tanda tribal group, conserved water, revived sources, and cut diesel pump reliance. “Climate change is a reality. Growing up, I felt forest water bodies had shrunk. Jharkhand, which gives coal to the entire country, did not have electricity for my hamlet. We came across ‘District Mineral Fund (DMF)’, which helped us revive the lake, introduce solar lift irrigation, and provide electricity. Also, installed 72 solar streetlights, school solar systems, and planting 2.880 mango saplings plus 800 fruit/shade trees, boosting forest livelihoods,” said Mr. Murmu. 

Watch: What is Net Zero? A key to tackling climate change

DMF is a non-profit trust under the MMDR Amendment Act 2015 that operates in mining-affected districts. Another grassroots leader, Odisha’s Jayanti Nayak, and other Indigenous women from Badakichab mapped commons using lived knowledge: land, forests, and water vital to their lives. They found 10 hectares of unused land and planted more than 16,000 saplings of mango, jackfruit, tamarind, bamboo, and amla, transforming the land. “Farms fail, but forests feed and heal us. Without forests, no life,” says Mr. Nayak. 

Pushpa Khairawar from Bihar’s Garhi forests pointed out that climate stress meant thirst: ponds and streams dried yearly. “Erratic rains worsened erosion and risky farming; monsoons brought flash floods, damaging fields. Wildlife strayed into villages. injuring cattle and crops amid heat deaths ending coexistence,” said Pushpa, adding the community built 45 mud check dams, 90 boulder dams, and three ponds.

Suryanarayan from Karnataka’s Kolar region implemented local solutions for Kolar’s development and climate mitigation, including revival of lakes, groundwater, and a decline in the use of chemical fertilizer. 

Published – February 20, 2026 12:35 pm IST