Additional Chief Secretary, Finance cum Development Commissioner Amit Khare today said that the issue of cleanliness and sanitation was an issue of human dignity. Khare, while speaking at a workshop on ‘Swachh Bharat Mission & the role of corporate sector’ here on Wednesday said that it needed extra efforts of collaboration between government and companies spending their CSR amount in these fields, and proper resource mobilisation.
The Development Commissioner added that the progress in the areas of toilet construction and cleanliness so far were clear indicative of the fact that the target was very much achievable within the given time. “We hope to achieve the target of ODF Jharkhand in the coming years. Swachh Bharat is not just a cleanliness and sanitation issue but a matter of human dignity. We can achieve this target only when the government, NGO partners, companies and citizens come together,” added Khare.
The workshop was organized by the Jharkhand Corporate Social Responsibility Council (JCSRC) of the Department of Industries, Mines and Geology, Government of Jharkhand (GoJ), Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation, GoJ & UNICEF. Industries Director K Ravi Kumar opened the workshop with a presentation on the JCSRC, progress so far and the CSR activities of companies.
Secretary to the CM and Department of Industries Secretary Sunil Kumar Barnwal, Water and Sanitation Department Principal Secretary AP Singh, UNICEF Chief (Jharkhand) Madhulika Jonathan, NASSCOM Foundation Chief Srikant Sinha and UNICEF WASH Specialist Kumar Premchand were also present along with officials of many companies actively spending a part or whole of their CSR amount in Jharkhand.
Barnwal said, “Two years ago the Government of Jharkhand set up the JCSRC – the first and only such body in India - to ensure that the CSR funds are efficiently used with substantive results. This year during the Governing body meeting of the JCSRC, the CM and Chairperson of JCSRC identified three key priorities for utilization of CSR funds in the State. These are Swachh Jharkhand, malnutrition-free Jharkhand & ensuring clean drinking water in the State.”
He also emphasized on the requirement of a dedicated web-portal, which could become interface between companies’ CSP plans and expenditure targets and government’s priorities for the area the companies wanted to work in. He also said that the portal needed to be people-friendly, so that common people of the area could come to know about the plans and priorities of the government and companies around them.
Jonathan said, “The human rights to water and sanitation are at the core of the UNICEF mandate for children. Not only are poor hygiene, open defecation, and lack of access to safe water and sanitation systems leading causes of child mortality and morbidity, they also contribute to under-nutrition and stunting, and act as barriers to education for girls and to economic opportunity for the poor.”
She said, “UNICEF is supporting the implementation of the Swachh Bharat
Mission in Jharkhand and providing techno managerial support to the JCSRC. It is matter of pride that Dulmi in Ramgarh and Kirsai in Simdega have been declared open defecation free and CSR funds have seen an increase in the CSR funds utilisation in the state specifically in the SBM. We will continue working with the Government of Jharkhand, companies, NGOs, civil society and communities in achieving the goal of Swachh Jharkhand.”