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Kerala will be the first major state to be declared open defecation-free, the Union Minister for Rural Development, Mr Jairam Ramesh, said here.
This will be effective from November 1, the State Formation Day, Mr Ramesh told newspersons here after a review meeting with state government officials.
NIRMAL STATUS
Of the 978 gram panchayats in the state, only 19 more had to declare themselves ‘nirmal’ (clean), the minister said.
State government officials have assured him this would be achieved by November 1, which would be announced in a major function to be held here on that day.
Among the small states, Sikkim has already achieved the ‘nirmal’ status. In the next two to three years, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh would also be declared clean.
The minister put five years before a much bigger state like Maharashtra can hope to achieve the same.
The larger objective is to declare the whole country open defection-free over the next 10-year-period, Mr Ramesh said.
REMARKABLE FEAT
It is remarkable that Kerala would be able to achieve the status for itself in such short period of time. This would be model for peer states to emulate.
Of the 19 gram panchayats to be declared clean in the state, five are in Thiruvananthapuram district; five in Kottayam; six in Idukki; and three in Palakkad.
Kerala is comparably the cleanest and healthiest state, but frequent outbreaks of dengue and chikungunya bares the sad state of affairs with respect to liquid and solid waste management systems.
“But the centre has formulated a scheme under which each gram panchayat would be extended financial assistance to tone up these systems,” Mr Ramesh said.
NEW SCHEME
Under this scheme, a sum of Rs 7 lakh each would be advanced to the small gram panchayats and up to Rs 20 lakh for the big panchayats.
Since all gram panchayats are big in size in Kerala, they are entitled to receive Rs 200 crore in all, of which the centre will provide 70 per cent (Rs 140 crore).
The state government will cough up the rest. The financial assistance should be invested in setting up liquid or solid waste management scheme in each panchayat.
“By July, the state government will come up with a project report,” the Minister said. The centre is committed to sanction Rs 140 crore under the scheme, he reiterated.
> vinson.kurian@thehindu.co.in
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