State Bank of India Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya on Friday dedicated to children two toilets constructed in a primary school in Shivpur here under the Clean India Campaign of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The toilets have been constructed by Sulabh Sanitation Mission Foundation, sister organisation of Sulabh International.
Addressing the gathering, Bhattacharya said the SBI would spend Rs 20 crore on construction of toilets in various states of the country. She said Rs 1.9 crore was earmarked for construction of 64 toilets in 35 primary schools in Varanasi and its adjoining districts, including two in Shivpur. The Sulabh Sanitation Mission Foundation (SSMF) would look after the maintenance of these toilets and it would be paid separately for it, she said.
The SBI has also decided to impart training in cleanliness to children through the SSMF. Bhattacharya appealed to people to keep their houses and surrounding areas clean. She said the goal of the cleanliness mission could be achieved with the participation of all and not just a handful of people. Sulabh International founder Bindeshwari Pathak, who was also present, said that it was shocking that about 2.5 crore people were still deprived of toilet facility.
Pathak said toilet was important for health as a number of diseases spread because of open defecation. He appealed to teachers of the school to keep toilet clean with the help of children. Bhattacharya handed over a cheque of Rs 1.29 crore to Pathak for construction of toilets. Those present on the occasion included SBI deputy managing directors Anshula Kant and Karnam Shekhar, and senior officers Vinod Pandey, DB Rath Rajnan Kumar Mishra and Gopal Krishan Das, and principals of all 35 schools in which toilets are to be constructed by the bank.
In another programme held at the SBI main office at Kutchery here, Bhattacharya donated a medical van to non-governmental organisation Helpage India. The van will help Helpage India in providing medical aid and medicines free of cost to poor children. The SBI Chairperson also donated medical equipment to Maan Anandmayee Hospital.