Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal participating in meeting of Niti Ayog at new Delhi on Thursday. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is also seen in the picture.
New Delhi, April 30, 2015: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal has called for transforming the implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission from the existing Sarkari (governmental) manner to an Asarkari (effective) manner.
He was speaking at the first meeting of the Sub-group of Chief Ministers on Swachh Bharat Mission at New Delhi today.
The Chief Minister suggested for the setting up of a separate Sub Mission for peri-urban and urban areas where urbanization happens at a fast pace but usually there is neither a Panchayat nor a municipal body to look after their sanitation needs. The municipal bodies are usually very reluctant to provide sanitation and water services in slums and unauthorised colonies. A missionary approach to creating a clean India requires that full attention is paid to these deprived areas. We could also consider earmarking of certain percentage of funds under SBM (Urban) for slums, he added.
Emphazising the need for breaking the "silos" in which bureaucreacies naturally think and work for the success of any "mission”, the Chief Minister also highlighted a few challenges which must be addressed for accomplishing Swacch Bharat Mission. He said that this Mission officially has two sub missions- Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) for villages and Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) for urban areas. However, we have nothing for peri- urban areas and what are called “Census Towns”. These are the areas where urbanization happens at a fast pace but usually there is neither a Panchayat nor a municipal body to look after their sanitation needs. Even when these are provided by a Panchayat, like in Haryana, the available funds fall short of their actual needs.
The Chief Minister also suggested that central assistance for individual latrines should be given at par at least for slums, peri-urban areas and those where sewerage system is not available. Presently, central assistance for individual latrines is Rs. 12000 under SBM-G, it is only Rs. 4000 under SBM-U.
The Chief Minister said that financial cap for Solid and Liquid Waste Management project under SBM-G should also be made flexible. Excess funds can be made available through Swachh Bharat Kosh set up by the Government of India for this purpose. Presently, the admissible cost under SBM-G that is Rs. 7 lakh to 20 lakh.
He said that operation and maintenance cost should also be included in the project cost under the Gramin Sub-Mission. Attention to life cycle project cost is important so as to ensure sustainability. This can be done only if adequate provisions are made for operation and maintenance including manpower costs. He also pointed out the need for promoting innovations under the Mission. Dedicated funds for innovation and piloting new technologies which are cost effective, sustainable and ecologically safe should be created. In urban areas, funds could be provided for pilots on night sweeping of roads given the financial and administrative constraints faced by most municipal corprations.
The Chief Minister said that Haryana is committed to achieving the goals laid down under the Swachh Bharat Mission. We have already achieved 86 per cent coverage of Individual Household Latrines in rural areas. We have successfully developed the three ponds system for Liquid Waste Management in 50 villages and are now developing a five pond system. Pilot projects are under way to test the new design and technology. In urban areas, six Solid Waste Management projects have been setup and one more is being established. We are mobilizing funds under Corporate Social Responsibility for construction of toilets in the schools. We are on track to construct separate toilets for boys and girls in all schools by June, 2015.
He said that the guidelines of the SBM-G of Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation and that of the SBM-U of Ministry of Urban Development are naturally different. Thus, while Liquid Waste Management for rural areas is a key component under SBM-G, laying sewerage lines or setting up sewerage treatment plant in urban areas has not been included in SBM-U. He said that close attention must be paid to development of comprehensive soutions and also to the life cycle costs of these solutions. A piecemeal and ad-hocist approach has no place in a mission mode project. Each village or town has to be taken as a composite project area for developing an end to end solution. / (SK Vyas, Jalandhar)
Date:
Friday, May 1, 2015