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More than 75 years after independence, Daraunda village in Bihar still struggles with the most basic facilities. Women are forced to carry buckets to throw out wastewater, children wade through dirty drains on their way to school, and families celebrate Chhath Puja in sewage-filled ponds. The promise of development remains a distant dream.
The much-publicized Nal-Jal Yojana, which was supposed to provide clean drinking water to every household, has become symbolic of broken governance. In Daraunda, a single 2,000-liter tank is shared by nearly 15,000 villagers, translating to barely 130 ml of water per person. Residents say bitterly, “Netaji vote maangne aate hain, par samasya suljhane kabhi nahi laut-te.”
Daraunda’s story is not isolated - it echoes across hundreds of villages in Bihar, where schemes exist only on paper and rural infrastructure remains neglected. With Bihar Election 2025 approaching, the condition of villages like Daraunda is expected to become a central issue in the political debate.
Will parties address the harsh realities of water scarcity, sanitation, and rural migration? Or will these promises remain empty slogans once again?
This ground report from Daraunda raises a critical question: if Bihar cannot provide clean water, working drains, and dignity in the birthplace of festivals like Chhath, how long will its villages continue to suffer in silence?