Providing safe drinking water and hygienic standard of living appears to be low on the priority of the State Government.
The project Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA), supported by Drinking Water & Sanitation Department, covers schemes to provide safe drinking water, managing hygienic disposal of human and animal wastes besides sanitation in all human activity. However, the mission for noble cause has few takers in the State bureaucracy especially since the scheme was converged with another ambitious social security scheme- MNREGA.
“There has been very little interest of Deputy Commissioners in the project which is evident by extremely slow pace of convergence with MNREGA. Problem also arises when other departments do not cooperate with us,” said State Coordinator of NBA, Ravindra Vohra.
Statistics corroborate the apathetic attitude of DCs as only nine districts of Jharkhand—Khunti, Godda, Giridih, Bokaro, Deoghar, Gumla, Koderma, Sahebganj and Ranchi–have been able to show some progress on convergence of NBA with MNREGA. With the thrust of the central government on providing access to sanitation to all by the year 2019 the State implementing agencies have started feeling the heat due to the prevailing state of affairs.
“The State needs to take it on priority basis. The situation as of now is that the most of the Mukhiyas have taken money but done nothing and their parent department, the Panchayati Raj has done little to ensure that they do the work for which they have taken money,” maintained the State Coordinator. According to sources, convergence has met its biggest hurdle in the form of Aadhaar coverage and seeding of the unique numbers to make direct payment to a MNREGA worker. About 13787 toilets have been constructed post convergence of the project with MNREGA. Convergence of both the schemes started from the financial year 2012-13. According to the sources in the implementing agency, more than Rs 250-crore has been spent on NBA since inception.
According to provisions, the DWSD department provides Rs 10-lakh to the Village Water and Sanitation Committee (VWSC) for NBA especially for the construction of toilets and so far about 93.37 per cent of schools, 66.70 per cent of Anganwadi centres, 46.02 per cent households, and only 312 community complexes have been made under the abhiyan. Also, about 63.75 per cent BPl households and only 16.60 per cent APl households have been covered under the benign project.
“Till now there was incentive only for a BPl family for constructing toilets now APl have become eligible for incentive for the project. So the pace of construction should increase now,” added Vohra. Notwithstanding the sluggishness in the project there are a few, both among the administrators and representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions, who can act as the role model for others to help attain the goal by the year 2022.
The then DC of Khunti Mukesh Kumar is known for effective implementation of the project in one of the most naxal affected districts of Jharkhand. As the DC of Khunti, Kumar was instrumental in the construction of more than 7,000 toilets in the district and also for making communities living in the extremist’s den to participate in NBA projects.
However, even greater significant was the contribution of Mukhiya of Torpa West, John Topno whose dedication to the project led him to latehar to address and motivate PRIs as well as BDOs of the district. Topno addressed a gathering in latehar in May on special request by Kumar who is now the DC of latehar. “Its all about resolve and acknowledging that one has been selected for working for the community. Unless that sense of understanding prevails a Mukhiya will only sit with the money granted to him,” said Topno.