Central funding for toilet construction inadequate: Naithani (Utterkhand)

The Pioneer. Dehradun.  26 September  26, 2014 

State Potable Water and Sanitation Minister Mantri Prasad Naithani said that the amount allocated for construction of toilets under Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) is inadequate and that the State Government will raise this issue with the Central Government. Naithani said this at the launch of the National Sanitation Awareness Campaign at the Rajiv Gandhi Navodaya Vidyalaya in Dehradun on Thursday.

Responding to the request made by Raipur Block Pramukh Beena Bahuguna for raising the budgetary allocation for construction of toilets from Rs10,000 to at least Rs25,000 each, Naithani acknowledged that the sum was inadequate with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari asking a secretary whether the sum was enough without getting a reply in a recent meeting.

Addressing the Panchayat representatives, he said, “I appeal you to pass a proposal and the budgetary allocation made in it for toilet construction will be presented to the Centre by the State to elicit action on increasing the amount.” Recalling his experience during school life Naithani said, “As a student I had gone to attend Vinoba Bhave’s camp at Wardha where nine out of 142 participating kids volunteered to clean the sewage pits of leprosy patients,” he said while urging the gathering to unhesitatingly clean garbage to keep the surroundings clean.

Recalling his experience in Uganda, the Minister said that the driver of the car he was travelling in stopped him from throwing a banana peel out the car window so that it could be dumped later in the bin. “We need to develop such civic sense. In Uttarakhand’s rural areas, those who can afford it have proper toilets but the economically weaker families remain without toilets,” said the Minister. Naithani also stressed on the importance of raising awareness on sanitation. Students will also be informed about sanitation in the school and various other activities will be held to spread awareness on sanitation and the need for toilets. The Minister later flagged off a vehicle for raising awareness on sanitation.

Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Swajal director, Sowjanya spoke on the importance of sanitation and the various health problems resulting from the lack of it. She said that essay writing, debate or painting competition would be held in 17,000 Government schools across the State as part of the sanitation programme. Students of the Rajiv Gandhi Navodaya Vidyalaya presented songs on the occasion while Ramlal’s group performed a puppet show on the subject of sanitation. Various public representatives and government officials were also present on the occasion.