The Angul model of community-led total sanitation caught the eyeballs of the national policy-makers. District Collector Sachin Jadhav was invited to join a panel discussion on rural housing at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on April 20 on the occasion of the Civil Services Day. Union Ministry of Administrative Reforms and Pension and Grievances, had invited Jadav to present the model. Jadhav’s selection on one of these panels is recognition for his successful efforts towards making more than 93 villages in Angul open defecation free in a span of six months by using innovative approach of community led total sanitation.
Along with the sanitation drive, Angul district has been in discussion due to its achievement in rapidly completing IAY and BPGY houses. The Angul model has drawn the attention of various national and international agencies recently due to its novel emphasis on community mobilisation and impetus to strengthening of PRI with increased participation of people in the programme.
The model has been successful in eliminating corruption due to transparency and demonstrated that with people’s participation the pace of construction of latrines and houses can be increased while ensuring the quality of construction. It was an honour for Jadhav, an IAS Officer of 2007 batch, as he was invited to share the dais with Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog Dr Arvind Panagaria, who was the chairman of the panel. The other panelists were former Union Secretary Urban Development Dr M Ramchandran, Managing Director, SBI B Sriram and Mahindra Cityscapes CEO Anita Arjundas.
There were five such panel discussions arranged on the occasion. Eminent personalities from various sectors along with senior civil servants were the panelists. During the panel discussion the ideas of Jadhav towards rural housing were noted with appreciation and the panel presentations were summed up before Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 21.
The Prime Minister appreciated the panel discussions on various topics and expressed hopes of replication of best practices in administration across the country. Modi gave away PM Awards for Excellence in Public Administration for Year 2012-13 and Year 2013-14. Jadhav’s innovative contributions were recognized with “Award for Effective Initiative under MGNREGA 2012-13” for “leadership under Challenging Circumstances”.