Three decades ago, the rocky hills of Pavagada taluk in Karnataka“s Tumakuru district were barren and bleak. And if this perennially drought-hit region needed anything urgently, it was some green cover. Today, the hillsides are verdant with hundreds of trees: neem, tamarind, honge, jackfruit, teak, jamun, peepal, mango and banyan. And as the trees send their roots deeper into the soil, at the foothills, a small army of guardians keeps vigil. In a heartwarming display of citizenship initiative, the people of five villages in the region formed committees to first forest the hillside and now these committees prevent anybody...
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