{
  "id": 9322534,
  "title": "Angels Of Marathwada: Dr Priyanand Agale's Eco-Revolution Transforms Rural Lives",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/angels-of-marathwada-dr-priyanand-agales-eco-revolution-transforms",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-23T11:03:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/pune/angels-of-marathwada-dr-priyanand-agales-eco-revolution-transforms-rural-lives"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar witnessed Dr Priyanand Agale's eco-revolution, a movement aimed at uniting various stakeholders to tackle environmental challenges. This innovative approach, founded by Dr Agale himself, integrates science, society, governance, spirituality, and community action to address ecological issues. His foundation, Eco Needs Foundation, has expanded its reach beyond Maharashtra, organizing national and international conferences to discuss pressing environmental issues. One such conference held in Pokhara, Nepal, focused on the vulnerability of mountain ecosystems to climate change. The foundation has also pioneered rural development models, like India's first Smart Village in Dhanora, Rajasthan, which follows a five-fold approach of Retrofitting, Redevelopment, Greenfield, e-Pan, and Livelihood. A significant focus of his work has been on water conservation in drought-prone Marathwada. To raise awareness, the foundation established the Centre for Water Literacy in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, which demonstrates sustainable water management practices to citizens, students, and institutions. In Parsoda village, water scarcity had severely impacted agriculture and development. Through the Bore River rejuvenation project and holistic village development under the Adarsh Village approach, the foundation has transformed Parsoda into a thriving example of rural transformation. His contributions have been recognized by the Government of India, who named him a \"Water Hero of India.\" Dr Agale's philosophy emphasizes the interconnectedness of environmental conservation, education, and social transformation. With his ongoing efforts, water conservation transcends mere campaigns and becomes a lifestyle for communities in Marathwada.",
  "summary": "Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: For Dr Priyanand Agale, environmental conservation is not the responsibility of a handful of environmentalists. He believes it must become a people’s movement -- one that brings together communities, scientists, researchers, academicians, social organisations, policymakers and spiritual leaders. An environmentalist from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Dr Agale has spent…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}