The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, which recently received applaud from PM Narendra Modi for engaging women workforce in quite a good number in constructing toilets under Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan (SBA) in the rural pockets is leaving no stone unturned in imparting training to women masons on different facets of sanitation.
Speaking during the workshop organised by UNICEF and Jharkhand Government to foster capacity building here on Friday, Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Aradhna Patnaik said that the prime objective of the department is to promote women empowerment through different means.
“Maximum females residing in the rural pockets have been engaged as ‘Women Masons’ and have emerged as ‘Swacchta Champions’ at their respective villages, panchayats setting examples for other States,” she said.
Further, Patnaik added that the main objective of organising workshop is to make ‘Rani Mistri’ (Women Masons) aware about Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus tool modus operandi launched recently by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs as a prominent toolkit of ‘Swacchta Survekshan – 2019’.
“Under ODF Plus, women masons will be divided into groups. Women masons will be trained to create awareness among the masses about issues such as cleanliness, drying pit, constructing public toilets etc ensuring community participation in huge number,” she said.
Patnaik informed that in the first phase of communication and capacity building programme with ‘Women Masons’ being jointly organised by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation and
UNICEF, training is being imparted among the women masons of 12 districts about ODF Plus. SBA -- ODF Plus protocol focuses on sustaining community/ public toilet usage by ensuring its functionality, cleanliness and maintenance.
“In the first phase, women masons of 12 districts of Jharkhand which includes Godda, Gumla, Chaibasa, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur, Giridih, Jamtara, Garhwa, Lohardaga, Palamau, Ramgarh are being trained by the specialists while in the second phase of ODF Plus program, women masons of the remaining 12 districts will be trained,” Patnaik further added.
During the workshop, the women masons of the 12 districts received training about menstrual hygiene, hand washing practice including solid waste management techniques. Also, the women masons shared their experiences and discussed about the strategies being adopted by them to popularise the ambitious SBA programme. The workshop saw the participation of Director -Drinking Water and Sanitation, Amit Kumar, UNICEF Jharkhand Chief Madhulika Jonathan and other dignitaries.