SIOLIM: A well-known face in Siolim, Deepa Pednekar is a multi-faceted personality in the true sense of the phrase. A qualified nurse for 16 years, Deepa seamlessly transitioned into farming and community empowerment, becoming a dynamic force within the Goa State Rural Livelihood Mission.
Since 2017, Deepa has served as a community resources person under the Mission, actively promoting self-help groups (SHGs). Remarkably, she has successfully formed 12 SHGs and another special group of hand-picked individuals, called ‘Viran Ganga’ under the Village Swabhimaan Scheme.
One of Deepa's primary initiatives involves empowering women and helping them become independent. Through various activities such as making food, sweets, and engaging in farming, she helps them set up agricultural produce stalls under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for festivals. Forming a crucial bridge between various government schemes and initiatives, and the people who are entitled to them but often struggle to work around the complicated procedures, Deepa tirelessly works to secure loans and ensure that funds reach deserving individuals.
Deepa’s infectious smile and willingness to reach out at any hour of the day or night have earned her the title of a silent warrior, particularly during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Supported by her husband Eknath Naik, she went above and beyond, travelling through the village of Siolim, providing medicines, food and other essentials to families in need. “I did not charge for these services,” she replies, when asked. “Those who could afford it, would offer whatever they can. But most of my lockdown visits were to people who were either homebound or those facing financial hardships,” she says.
Amidst all these tasks that keep her busy all day, Deepa says she is a farmer at heart.
During the pandemic, when fresh produce was difficult to source, she engaged local farmhands and planted 3,000 square metres of vegetables, distributing the harvest free of cost to the needy in Siolim. However, she is quick to share the credit for her good deeds. “I could not have achieved it without help from the Agriculture Department- officers like Raghunath Joshi and Sampathi Dhargalkar played a pivotal role by providing seeds and saplings, and motivating me to grow vegetables,” she says.
She mentions the vast tracts of tenanted land left fallow in Siolim, and advocates for government schemes that include tenants. “Farmers are shying away from cultivating lands due to lack of access to government schemes and subsidies. The government asks them to take a loan and apply for the subsidy later, but it takes 6 months to a year for these funds to reach the farmers, by which time the mounting interest discourages them from taking up cultivation,” she points out. Deepa also calls for the government to make agriculture a compulsory subject in school education. “This will foster a sense of love and pride in the land and ensure that our future generations preserve our precious agricultural land,” she says. “The government needs to rope in more youth into farming activities, which will not only provide food security but also solve the unemployment problem,” she says earnestly.