In 2025, Dawwa village in Gondia's Sadak Arjuni taluka in Maharashtra made history as the first in India to win the Climate Action Special Panchayat Award (CASPA), securing a Rs 1 crore prize for grassroots climate efforts.

Since December 2023, the village also secured additional honours, including the Sant Gadge Baba Award and state recognitions such as the Majhi Vasundhara Award in June 2024. The total accolades were worth Rs 1.61 crore.

Dawwa’s progress is now visible in every direction. Paddy yields are up, orchards are thriving, and livestock numbers have grown. Women-led SHGs are local engines of change. Public places and schools are powered by solar energy.

What began as a single mother’s quiet act of resilience has grown into a model of rural leadership — where climate action, gender empowerment, and community participation converge. Dawwa today stands as proof that the smallest village can blaze a trail in sustainability — one rooted in empathy, inclusion, and hope.

Amid this atmosphere of transformation emerged Yogeshwari Chatrugan Chaudhary, whose life was reshaped by tragedy.

Married in 2003, she arrived in the village as a bride after passing her Class 12. With the support of her husband, Yogeshwari went on to pursue a B.A., B.Ed., and D.Ed. (Craft). She was working as a schoolteacher when, in 2017, her husband passed away suddenly, leaving her to raise their young child alone.

After her husband’s demise, she recalls, “I had no elder support. It was just my child and me. I could have given up, but I chose to rebuild.”

Her resilience soon found expression in public life. Deeply troubled by the worsening condition of Dawwa — degraded soil, failing crops, and the steady migration of youth — Yogeshwari felt the village needed decisive leadership from within. Armed with education but no political backing, she decided to step forward herself.

In December 2023, Yogeshwari Chatrugan Chaudhary assumed the role of sarpanch of Dawwa (S) Gram Panchayat, winning the election by a strong margin........

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