Bengal government, Unicef to launch sanitation plan

The West Bengal government, in collaboration with Unicef, will launch a state-wide communication strategy on sanitation to reach out to the grassroots and boost installation of toilets in rural areas, an official said Thursday.

The state government will work with Unicef and will bring aboard 15 NGOs to push villagers into making necessary arrangements for sanitation."The strategy will provide information on how to go about ensuring sanitation at the grass roots. It will be launched in September," Asadur Rahman, chief of Field Office, Unicef, Bengal chapter, told IANS on the sidelines of an event here.

Rahman said adequate funds are available and with support of local government and NGOs, the state's target of total sanitation can be achieved by 2016.Recently, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the central government intends to cover every house under total sanitation by 2019 under the Swatchh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission).

"It is a positive step as issues like health and women's empowerment are linked to sanitation," he said.