Effective implementation of Solid Waste Management (SWM) projects by the West Bengal Government under the Centrally sponsored Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Generation Scheme (MNREGS) in its villages has drawn the attention of the Modi Government.
The Union Water and Sanitation Ministry has recently asked all the States to replicate the West Bengal model,
calling it a 'mature' one, for promoting Solid Waste Management initiatives in their respective villages.
"The Ministry has studied some of the SWM models being operated in the States. The Ministry has found that the West Bengal model appears to be a mature model and is more aligned to the provisions of the rural job scheme.
"It ensures sustainability of the project as the State has taken into account the various sources of income generation possible through the compositing activities as well as by way of collecting user charges and gram panchayat funds etc," said Aparajita Sarangi, Joint Secretary (MNREGA) of the Ministry in a letter to the States.
Enlisting key features of the 'model' being implemented by Mamata Banerjee Government, the official said that as per expectation it aims to achieve sustainable waste management which is economically viable and without detrimental
effects to human health or to the environment with user friendly practices.
She said that Detailed Project Report (DPRs) of the SWM covers in depth analysis of total waste generated from households, shops, schools, ICDS, hut, marriage halls
etc distance from the SWM unit, transportation and segregation, organic and waste among others.
The Central Government also noted that unlike many States, West Bengal had effectively identified sources of funding for various activities through various centrally sponsored schemes.
For instance, said Sarangi, the cost on training and exposure of sanitary workers, supervisors etc and on awareness initiatives are borne by National Rural livelihoods Mission while all the durable assets like vermin-compost units, tri-cycle shed and bathroom are funded from MGNREGS. West Bengal was not meeting expenditure on wages and other items of recurring nature from the rural job scheme. Instead, funds from Mission Nirmal Bangla (MNB) ie SBM-G have been utilized for providing e-rickshaw/push cart for door to door collection, brooms, baskets, spades, salary kits and buckets etc including maintenance of e-rickshaw for two years, said the letter.
Similarly, all the recurring expenditures like wages to sanitary workers (waste collectors and segregators) supervisors and office accessories have been covered under the MNB for two years.
In this connection, the official cited the successful community based solid waste management project being undertaken by the community in Hemtabad Gram Pachyayat in Hemtabad Development Block in Uttar Dinajpur in the State.