Jalvaani 3 (4)

sh@-S~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~- aw -: Promoting healthy compe0tition Villages in Maharashtra compete to be the cleanest in the state tate governments have been district in a competition stretching Maharashtra, the campaign struggling to improve the over two weeks. airned at raising the health coverage of rural sanitation Lack of sanitation and standards and ultirmately the in the country, which is only 16-20 inadequate personal hygiene has quality of life of rural communities per cent. The Government of had a major impact on the quality th-ough people's participation. Maharashtra has given the of life in rural Maharashtra. In the 'Clean water, my duty' and sanitation program a last three years, 2,840 people have 'safe water, my right' were the new direction by launching an died in epidemics. Out of 75 lakh messages promoted during the innovative clean village campaign students in primary schools, campaign. Communities were to promote environmental 15 lakh have been found to be sensitized to issues such as full sanitation and personal hygiene suffering from various sanitation- recovery of sanitation and water through community participation. related diseases, such as scabies, chiarges from beneficiaries, how Unlike other programs that have dental problems and worm-related user groups should manage water been largely supported by donor ailments. Recognizing the need to sc:hemes, minimizing expenditure funds, the sanitation campaign in broadbase the existing sanitation on repairs of water schemes and Maharashtra, by fostering a program, the Maharashtra toilets, and the use of local sense of competition, has Government launched a village material for toilet construction. harnessed resources available at sanitation campaign, the Sant Visits to villages adopting best the village level and galvanized Gadge Baba Gram Swachhata practices were organized as part communities to clean up their Abhiyan, on 2 October 2000. of the campaign. own villages. Cash prizes have Named after Sant Gadge Baba, To encourage community been awarded to villages that are a pioneering saint who worked participation and promote judged to be the 'cleanest' in the to improve rural sanitation in ownership of community sanitation schemes, meetings were organized at the state, district and \3s3_; ffi - rj t| ~~~~~~~~~block levels, which were attended by MLAs, zilla parishad councilors I t, 4 4 '> ; - and panchayat samiti members. A ._|. gram sabha meeting was held in each participating panchayat to constitute a village sanitation - _ ~ <,, -campaign committee, which would {} -- - - tx represent different groups, including backward classes, women and youth. These i ,, , . -. committees were assisted and guided by staff from the taluka. - - | s -5,g- From 3-16 October 2000, community efforts in rural Nlaharashtra were directed at  t , ~ ~ ~ ~~~ ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ r-i - I I iu r .- I _-- fl Tl , .. flt- ---e 1 ,-, 1-~ii, trrr-i, ,-,t .rlitg& err e I.1 -- -,-r- TIir: 11 1| cleanliness, waste water disposal, followed by a visit by the state water quality monitoring, cost of level committee to select the .4 repairs of household connections cleanest village in the state. A pr ze < < and public standposts, of Rs 25 lakh will be awardeo n I t = 4 performance of the village water the presence of the Governor and I and sanitation committee, system the Chief Minister on 1 May 2001. | ! sof revising water charges, rate of The total prize money amounts recovery of water charges, to Rs 3.55 crore. women's participation ancl water To increase people's .. ~~~handling at home. Under personal participation in the sanitatior a ,j lhygiene, the sanitation program, the Government has d -2B||| environment around houses and encouraged NGOs, cooperative schools, children's personal habits, institutions, manufacturers and -- _ r and medical reports in schools and retailers dealing in sanitation L_ b r-anganwadis were evaluated. products to be associated w th t e To ensure that the best and campaign and award additional , '- \>..