The social responsibilities of corporate houses need to be increased in order to make the Swachchh Bharat Mission more effective. Uttarakhand Forest and Sports Minister Dinesh Aggarwal said this while participating in the meeting of the Chief Ministers’ sub-group for Swachchh Bharat Mission at the NITI Aayog hall in Delhi on Thursday.
Speaking at the meet, Aggarwal said the corporate houses could be allocated entire Gram Panchayats as target in the Swachchh Bharat mission. However, the participation of corporate houses has been very limited due to absence of clear guidelines on this aspect.
“Considerable funds are required for solid and liquid waste management. Under the mission, Rs7 lakh has been provisioned for up to 150 families, Rs12 lakh for 150-300 families, Rs15 lakh for 300-500 families and Rs20 lakh in Gram Panchayats with more than 500 families.
A sum of Rs92.28 crore is to be spent on waste management works in 1,041 out of total 7,969 Gram Panchayats in 2015-16. On the other hand, the technique used for solid and liquid waste management depends on the geographic conditions of the location. Hence, the technique used in Kerala cannot be implemented in the high Himalayan region of Uttarakhand.
Considering this, a specialist agency should be used for human waste management in Uttarakhand. The assistance of organisations providing multi-level services can be used for construction of toilets while a fixed amount from the MlA and MPA lAD funds can be set apart for construction of toilets. The various subsidies provided to Gram Panchayats should also be linked to sanitation related works.
The voluntary organisations, ashrams and trusts should also be encouraged to adopt Gram Panchayats for the sanitation related works. Considering the popularity of the media, the print and electronic media should also be involved in efforts against open defecation and media enterprises should also be encouraged to adopt Gram Panchayats,” suggested Aggarwal.
Stating that Swachchh Bharat Mission is being executed by Rural Development and Panchayati Raj departments in most Indian States, the Minister said, “In Uttarakhand, there is only one Panchayat development officer deployed for every eight to 10 Gram Panchayats which is hampering the swift execution of the mission in the State.”
Aggarwal also made other suggestions to help boost the implementation of the mission. He also presented the achievements of the State in the sphere of sanitation.