In a major decision towards women empowerment and inclusive sanitation, the State Government on Friday handed over the Operation and Maintenance (O and M) of four Septage Treatment Plants (SeTPs) to Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in the State. The treatment facilities were handed over to women SHGs in Brahmapur, Baripada and Sambalpur and to a transgender SHG in Cuttack through a contract agreement signed between the SHG and the ULBs at an event presided over by Minister Panchayatiraj and DW ,Law, Housing and Urban Development, Pratap Jena, held through video conference mode on Friday.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister Jena told that SHGs are now at the forefront of all development activities including sanitation in Odisha and have proven their ability time and again.
“Community managed sanitation infrastructure not only results in community ownership but also makes it more sustainable in the longer run,” said the Principal Secretary, HUDD G Mathi Vathanan on the occasion.
The treatment plants were handed over to the SHGs through a service contract between the concerned Urban Local Body (ULB) and the SHGs. The ULBs will continue to provide technical and handholding assistance.