Nagpur ZP goes into overdrive on rural hygiene

Beginning Monday, the Nagpur Zilla Parishad (ZP) seems to have gone into a frenzy in trying to promote better hygiene and health in villages




under its purview. The reason behind this hurry, sources reveal, is that the Union government is reportedly discontinuing its `Sampoorna Swachchhata Abhiyaan', or Complete Cleanliness Drive, which had been driving ZP campaign for cleanliness in villages.

Speaking to TOI on Wednesday, ZP chief executive officer (CEO) Anand Bharkade informed that till October this year, 262 panchayat samitis had already been visited, and the residents educated about the need for and various ways of maintaining hygiene and health.

Now, between November 23 and December 5, the ZP is planning to send the heads of departments (HoDs) and block development officers (BDOs) to 260 more panchayat samitis to spread the word. The teams have been instructed to speak about several points, however the focus while educating villagers will be health and hygiene.

"The first point will be how to keep a village clean. The second will be to purify drinking water and water for other uses. The third will be to bring down instances of malnutrition. Other topics will include ways to apply for and land a job under the Maharashtra Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MREGS), and also how to reap the benefits of various government schemes," Bharkade informed.

The ZP officers said that they are leaving no stone unturned to ensure the success of this drive. "We are making arrangements so that the maximum number of people are able to attend the workshops. These events are organised at night, so that people complete their chores beforehand and are free to attend the meetings. As for locations where there is no electricity supply, arrangements are being made to ensure power supply," Bharkade added.

In fact, to attract more audience to these events, the ZP is now mulling cultural and entertainment gigs alongside! "On Tuesday, at a panchayat samiti in Ramtek, the event was combined with a `kirtan' programme. We are also thinking of introducing street plays along with them," the CEO said.

Besides promoting hygiene at an individual or family level, the ZP has also set aside funds to be given as incentives to people living below the poverty line (BPL) if they construct permanent lavatories and stop defecating in the open along roadsides or in the fields. "A sum of Rs 2,200 is given as incentive to anyone who follows this rule," Bharkade informed.

"Initially, there were 2.40 lakh homes belonging to people living both above and below the poverty level which needed such lavatories. Till date, nearly 65% of these homes have been given permanent lavatories under the above mentioned scheme. However, a lot more remains to be done, and we wish residents of the rural parts of the district come to us and ask for help. The bigger the response, the better," he opined.