Ministry of Rural Development 21-February, 2012 18:43 IST
ASHA workers will be roped in to create awareness on sanitation, says Jairam
The Union Minister of Rural Development Sh Jairam Ramesh has said that issues like Sanitation and Drinking water should become the main national agenda to ensure a healthy national outlook. Addressing the second meeting of National Drinking Water and Sanitation Council here, the Minister said, he is hopeful of 40 to 60 percent increase in the budgetary allocation for drinking water and Sanitation, which stands at Rs 10,000 crore at present. He said, health, sanitation and water supply should not be treated as separate issues, as they impact on each other and should be seen in a holistic framework. Shri Ramesh said that nearly eight lakh ASHA workers working in the health sector will be roped in for creating awareness about sanitation issues in rural areas and appropriate incentives will be given to them. He also informed that the allocation of Rs 3,000 for creating individual toilets will be increased to about Rs 7,000, but at the same time added that the focus will shift from individual toilets to community ones, where the Gram Panchayats will be the sheet anchor of the programme. SNC (Release ID :80441)
Create awareness of Hygiene and Sanitation
Comment: We need to applaud Jairam for his vision and bold initiative in transforming India of garbage, open defecation, public urination, filth, open sewers, contaminated drinking water and abysmal sanitation. A small step in the direction of a major and a gigantic challenge. The funds allotted is peanuts- Civic sense must be imparted, administered and cultivated in the schools and colleges. A great opportunity for all veteran organisations to get into the act of nation building instead of withering away our organisational assets.
Showing posts with label Sanitation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sanitation. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Thursday, November 3, 2011
India's Sanitation Lowers Development
India ranked 134th in terms of Human Development Index
Press Trust of India, Updated: November 02, 2011 18:45 IST
New Delhi: A United Nations study has ranked India at 134 out of 187 countries in terms of Human Development Index even as it has observed that life expectancy at birth in the country has increased by 10.1 per cent a year over the last two decades.
In the 2010 Human Development Report, prepared by UNDP, India had been ranked at 119 out of 169 countries. But the new report for 2011 says it is misleading to compare values and rankings with those of previously published reports, because the underlying data and methods have changed, as well as the number of countries included in the Human Development Index.
The report said India's Human Development Index (HDI) value for 2011 was 0.547 positioning the country in the 'medium human development category'. Neighbouring Pakistan was ranked at 145 (0.504) and Bangladesh at 146 (0.500) respectively in terms of HDI. It said between 1980 and 2011, India's HDI value increased from 0.344 to 0.547, an increase of 59 per cent or an average annual increase of about 1.5 per cent.
However, the report pointed that the country's HDI of 0.547 was below the average of 0.630 for countries in the medium human development group and below the average of 0.548 for countries in South Asia.
The HDI is a measure for assessing long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human development such as a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living.
The report said the "mean" year of schooling for the country increased by 3.9 years between 1980 and 2011 and expected years of schooling increased by 3.9 years.
Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, who was present at the report release function, however, sounded dismissive about the figures in the report.
He said a better way of analysing the progress made by countries including India is to measure comparative success they have achieved on this count in the last few years from their previous record rather than by the number of their positions in the international chart.
Ramesh said such presentation of human development indices is "grossly misleading" and the country's progress in this respect should be seen from a 20-year perspective.
He said India has made huge strides in the field of education and water supply system but admitted that the biggest block in the human development indices for India is in the field of sanitation where 58 per cent of open defecation in the world takes place in India.
He also rued that a mere expenditure of Rs. 2000 crore in the field of sanitation is being made while the budget for water supply was Rs. 20,000 crore.
Ramesh said that the answer to the problem of sanitation is massive public investment in the sector on the lines of what the Central Government has done in education sector.
Read more at: India ranked 134th in terms of Human Development Index
Press Trust of India, Updated: November 02, 2011 18:45 IST
New Delhi: A United Nations study has ranked India at 134 out of 187 countries in terms of Human Development Index even as it has observed that life expectancy at birth in the country has increased by 10.1 per cent a year over the last two decades.
In the 2010 Human Development Report, prepared by UNDP, India had been ranked at 119 out of 169 countries. But the new report for 2011 says it is misleading to compare values and rankings with those of previously published reports, because the underlying data and methods have changed, as well as the number of countries included in the Human Development Index.
The report said India's Human Development Index (HDI) value for 2011 was 0.547 positioning the country in the 'medium human development category'. Neighbouring Pakistan was ranked at 145 (0.504) and Bangladesh at 146 (0.500) respectively in terms of HDI. It said between 1980 and 2011, India's HDI value increased from 0.344 to 0.547, an increase of 59 per cent or an average annual increase of about 1.5 per cent.
However, the report pointed that the country's HDI of 0.547 was below the average of 0.630 for countries in the medium human development group and below the average of 0.548 for countries in South Asia.
The HDI is a measure for assessing long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human development such as a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living.
The report said the "mean" year of schooling for the country increased by 3.9 years between 1980 and 2011 and expected years of schooling increased by 3.9 years.
Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, who was present at the report release function, however, sounded dismissive about the figures in the report.
He said a better way of analysing the progress made by countries including India is to measure comparative success they have achieved on this count in the last few years from their previous record rather than by the number of their positions in the international chart.
Ramesh said such presentation of human development indices is "grossly misleading" and the country's progress in this respect should be seen from a 20-year perspective.
He said India has made huge strides in the field of education and water supply system but admitted that the biggest block in the human development indices for India is in the field of sanitation where 58 per cent of open defecation in the world takes place in India.
He also rued that a mere expenditure of Rs. 2000 crore in the field of sanitation is being made while the budget for water supply was Rs. 20,000 crore.
Ramesh said that the answer to the problem of sanitation is massive public investment in the sector on the lines of what the Central Government has done in education sector.
Read more at: India ranked 134th in terms of Human Development Index
Friday, August 27, 2010
Ahead of CWG, Kiran Bedi's Book on Civic Sense
Outlook India New Delhi | Aug 26, 2010
Moved by the 'not so good' image of civic sense of Indians among foreigners, India's first woman IPS officer Kiran Bedi has brought out suggestions for laymen to improve their civic behaviour ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
"There are article after article in foreign nations calling Indians unhygienic and dirty. Being a true Indian, I wanted to change the scenario," says Kiran Bedi who has collaborated with socio-political thinker, Pavan Chaudary for the book Broom and Groom.
With an introduction by former President APJ Abdul Kalam, the hardbound book suggests globally accepted manners and etiquette and features a muppet and other illustrations on its pages.
"Foreigners hug and hold hands in public. We should not stand and start staring at them, else they will carry a bad impression of us back home," Bedi told PTI while releasing the book here last evening.
Co-author Pavan Chaudary says the government should stop tweaking and wake up before the games to provide good sanitation and hygiene conditions.
"India was the first cradle of civic virtue in the world as Indus and Mohanjodaro civilisations had irrefutable evidence of good sanitation and code of conduct," he says.
Invoking Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, he said,"Gandhi ji said our Swaraj will stink if we do not clean our backyards. But, post-independence our governments have failed to provide education and infrastructure for good hygiene."
According to the authors, the idea to write the book came due to the appalling living conditions in our country and from their desire of not seeing India lag behind other nations in terms of civility.
"The book tells that we are not giving up. We are starting a revival and revolution of civility. The book is for civil responsibility," says Bedi.
The book focusses on civic sense issues such as not spitting paan at public places, ogling at female co-passengers in an elevator or quarrelling in front of a guest at home.
Catering to a variety of sections ranging from the elite to government servants and domestic help, the book covers such issues such as restaurant and banquet manners, auditoria or airplanes must dos, gymnasium and sports field behaviour, greeting properly as well as being a good host or house guest.
Anu Anand, publisher, Wisdom Village(Publication Division) says, "We are happy to introduce the book just before CWG. We hope our readers will learn and put their best foot forward before our guests from 54 countries during the Delhi CWG."
The publisher has started a website and blog to get feedback from readers whose suggestions will be included in the next edition of the book. The book would also be released in Hindi and other regional languages soon.
"Keeping a good hygiene has been brought out very nicely. Each page in the book is useful to improve the way of life," says Kalam in his foreword.
Ahead of CWG, Kiran Bedi's Book on Civic Sense
Moved by the 'not so good' image of civic sense of Indians among foreigners, India's first woman IPS officer Kiran Bedi has brought out suggestions for laymen to improve their civic behaviour ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
"There are article after article in foreign nations calling Indians unhygienic and dirty. Being a true Indian, I wanted to change the scenario," says Kiran Bedi who has collaborated with socio-political thinker, Pavan Chaudary for the book Broom and Groom.
With an introduction by former President APJ Abdul Kalam, the hardbound book suggests globally accepted manners and etiquette and features a muppet and other illustrations on its pages.
"Foreigners hug and hold hands in public. We should not stand and start staring at them, else they will carry a bad impression of us back home," Bedi told PTI while releasing the book here last evening.
Co-author Pavan Chaudary says the government should stop tweaking and wake up before the games to provide good sanitation and hygiene conditions.
"India was the first cradle of civic virtue in the world as Indus and Mohanjodaro civilisations had irrefutable evidence of good sanitation and code of conduct," he says.
Invoking Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, he said,"Gandhi ji said our Swaraj will stink if we do not clean our backyards. But, post-independence our governments have failed to provide education and infrastructure for good hygiene."
According to the authors, the idea to write the book came due to the appalling living conditions in our country and from their desire of not seeing India lag behind other nations in terms of civility.
"The book tells that we are not giving up. We are starting a revival and revolution of civility. The book is for civil responsibility," says Bedi.
The book focusses on civic sense issues such as not spitting paan at public places, ogling at female co-passengers in an elevator or quarrelling in front of a guest at home.
Catering to a variety of sections ranging from the elite to government servants and domestic help, the book covers such issues such as restaurant and banquet manners, auditoria or airplanes must dos, gymnasium and sports field behaviour, greeting properly as well as being a good host or house guest.
Anu Anand, publisher, Wisdom Village(Publication Division) says, "We are happy to introduce the book just before CWG. We hope our readers will learn and put their best foot forward before our guests from 54 countries during the Delhi CWG."
The publisher has started a website and blog to get feedback from readers whose suggestions will be included in the next edition of the book. The book would also be released in Hindi and other regional languages soon.
"Keeping a good hygiene has been brought out very nicely. Each page in the book is useful to improve the way of life," says Kalam in his foreword.
Ahead of CWG, Kiran Bedi's Book on Civic Sense
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Incredible India, can we have a Clean India?
“Are you on the side of those who make India hang her head in shame or those who raise her head in pride,” asks Aamir Khan in an ‘Incredible India' advertisement. I am as big a patriot as is the next person, but sometimes, queries buzz about inside my head querulously. Is there any harm in talking about those aspects of our country that could be wished away!
Do you need that big gob of spit that just misses your big toe on your way to an important appointment? Or that red-flecked liquid spewed out so casually in a traffic snarl? What could be worse than that giant phlegm-filled hawk that begins from deep inside a champion ‘spitter', making you wince and shut your eyes and ears in anticipation of the actual event? And those artistic red squiggles on pristine walls, winding staircases, and ironically, below signs which scream “Please do not spit here!”
What about the male members of the human species with undoubtedly canine habits, when they sight a vacant wall, and proceed to let loose in public? The movie Three Idiots has a funny yet effective way of dealing with this, where the culprit receives a gentle jolt, just enough to bring him to his senses, yet does no permanent harm! Pedestrians are often caught between the devil and the deep blue sea; is it safer to sink into excreta, or step off the pavement and be hit by a bus! Tread on mush or turn into mush, as it were!
The tagline of Lays Chips (no one can eat just one!) rings true as one perceives bright wrappers forming part of the vast garbage dump that our roads have turned into. Plastic bottles, cans, fruit peels and groundnut shells turn the picture murkier! On one memorable suburban train ride from Guindy to Chetpet in Chennai, I walked in confidently to a deserted corner in the ladies' compartment, only to be assailed by a stench that made my insides churn. Someone had let her child squat on the floor and left the evidence behind! ‘Incredible India', anyone?
Forget about Incredible India, can we have a Clean India? by DEEPTI MENON: The Hindu
Related news:
Expanding cities, vanishing space for citizens by T. R. Bhat: The Hindu
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