NEW DELHI: Rural Development Minister Nitin Gadkari has written to parliamentarians requesting them to allocate funds from their MPLADS for construction of toilets in village homes, schools and anganwadis.
His letter to the MPs comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the parliamentarians to use MPLADS funds in building toilets to end the menace of open defecation in the country by 2019, the 150 birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
“… To improve the sanitation facilities in your constituency, you are requested to recommend the allocation of funds from your MPLADS, for construction of individual household latrines…Schools and anganwadi toilets, community sanitary complexes (public toilets and bathrooms) and for solid liquid waste management projects…,” Gadkari said in his letter.
He said this will help achieve the vision of Nirmal Bharat by 2019 with all gram panchayats in the country attaining Nirmal status and “eliminating the scourge of open defecation and squalor in our villages”.
The minister said that the status of sanitation in rural areas is not adequate at present as “about 60 percent our rural population” defecate in the open.
“This leads to health problems in the population and also especially affects women and children in terms of their safety, security and dignity,” Gadkari said in the letter.
In his Independence Day speech, Modi, while stressing on “dignity of women” had urged parliamentarians and the corporate sector to help build separate toilets for girls in schools across the country by next year.
The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, headed by Gadkari, administers the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan with the objective to accelerate sanitation coverage in rural areas to achieve the Nirmal Bharat by 2019.
Construction of individual household latrines, school and anganwadi toilets, community sanitary complexes and solid liquid waste management are important components of the programme. (PTI, 22 August 2014)
India Toilet and Sanitation Summit, 6 Feb 2014 at New Delhi
NEW DELHI: IndiaCSR (www.indiacsr.in , India’s Largest CSR News Network) has also decided to participate in Prime Minister’s Clean India Mission and announced a national level forum – India Sanitation Summit 2015 with the theme of ‘Sanitation for All-Toilet First’.
It is expected to attract more than 50 experts and 300 delegates from across the globe. The main aim of the summit is to develop strategies to widen sanitation coverage for India. “The summit will be an extraordinary opportunity for the exchange of information, ideas and know-how with well-known experts on sanitation, women empowerment, education and toilet-related topics.
IndiaCSR welcomes likeminded philanthropist, thought leaders and organization, UN agencies, NGOs, local bodies, town planners and policy makers be become a partners and sponsors.
Various corporate have decided to be an active participant of Visionary Prime Minister Shri Narendra Midi’s Swachh Bharat Mission (Clean India Initiative) to improve rural sanitation environment and toilet facilities for students in schools. Stressing on ‘dignity of women’, Prime on August 15 asked Parliamentarians and the corporate sector to help build separate toilets for girls in schools across the country by next year.
To help India harness its demographic dividend and support Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Clean India campaign that was announced on the occasion of India’s Independence Day, Tata Consultancy Services, Bharti Foundation, Hindustan Zinc and IDBI Bank announced that it would finance hygienic sanitation facilities for girl students various schools in the country.
It is worth mentioning that Swachh Bharat Mission, announced by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on August 15, 2014 is a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th Birth Anniversary and aims at tackling sanitation and waste management issues in the country.
According to estimates, 2.6bn people around the world lack access to a hygienic toilet. The United Nations hopes to halve this figure by 2015 as part of its millennium development goals. In India alone, more than 700 million people have no access to toilets which have proper waste disposal systems.
Corporate Social Responsibility and Toilet
Prime Minister called on the corporate sector to help in building toilets in schools under their Corporate Social Responsibility projects under priority programme. It is worth mentioning that, with the implementation of the new company law from April 1, 2014 India has become the only country in the world with legislated corporate social responsibility (CSR) and a spending threshold of up to Rs 15,000 crore a yearly.
The new law mandates that all companies, including foreign firms, with a minimum net worth of Rs 500 crore, turnover of Rs 1,000 crore and net profit of at least Rs 5 crore, spend at least two percent of their profit on CSR. Works carried out by corporate in the area of toilet building is very much part of social welfare spending activity of Scheduled- VII of Section 135 (the CSR Rule) under new companies law. Sensation and Rural Development is priority area of Scheduled-VII.
30 Speakers, 300 Participants
The India Sanitation Summit involves some of the most reputable and competent national and world renowned speakers from government and private sectors, research agencies, innovators, social and though leaders dealing in sanitation and toiletries industries in the country. There will be 30 speakers and 300 participants projected in these 2 days exclusive summit. The Summit would provide a forum to initiate a dialogue and enlighten the delegates on various issues related to sanitation, toilet movement, woman empowerment, women dignity and girl child education etc.
For the Sponsorship, Speakership Opportunity, partnership and Participation at India Sanitation Summit, kindly send your expression of Interest as earliest:
Please contact:
Rusen Kumar, Director
IndiaCSR
Mobile: 9981099555
Email: conference@indiacsrnetwork.com
