Union minister Ramesh Jigajinagi participates in ‘Swacch Shakti Saptah’
Udupi: The district level International Woman’s Day and valedictory ceremony of “Swacch Shakti Saptah” was held at the Town hall Ajjarkad here on Wednesday, March 8.
The programme began with the state anthem, Shrinivas Rao project director for Zilla panchayat welcomed the gathering. Ramesh Jigajinagi union minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation inaugurated the programme by lighting the lamp.
In his message, Ramesh Jigajinagi said that The Swacch Bharat Mission, launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi aimed at achieving a clean and open defecation free (ODF) India by 2019. Owing to the priority given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ‘Swachhta’ has become a movement in the country and now it needs to make a mass movement with a significant contribution of women. The PM himself will be in Gujarat addressing about 6,000 woman representatives from all across the country.
After the Swacch Bharath Mission began, over 167 lakh villages have become Open Defecation Free, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim states — had already declared themselves ODF states. Swacch Bharat Mission (SBM) has become a mass movement, we are working so that it scales new heights. The sanitation coverage in the country has reached 61.27 percent, he added.
The Centre has sanctioned Rs 419.56 crore to Karnataka to build individual household toilets under the Swacch Bharat Mission. The state has received more funds than what it had asked for (Rs 253.43 crore) to expedite construction of toilets. The state has spent Rs 240 crore under the scheme. Around 27 taluks and five districts – Udupi, Bengaluru, Bengaluru Rural, Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada have been declared free of open defecation, he said.
Various women achievers were honoured on the occasion for their outstanding performance in women empowerment and promoting Open Defecation Free work in the district.
Udupi Zilla panchayat vice president Sheela K Shetty, Deputy commissioner Priyanka Mary Francis, TP president Nalini Pradeep Rao, ZP members Sudhakar Shetty, Gitanjali Suvarna, Shilpa Suvarna, women and child welfare department deputy director Gracy Gonsalves, state convener for Swacch Shakti Saptah Kanchana, women association leader Sarala Kanchan, Vasanthi, Radha Daas, Dhanalaxmi and others were present.
Open urinating by those irresponsible and anti-social men should also be addressed and dealt with firmly by the law. Men use the Government School wall opposite to the Udupi Service Bus Stand, to openly urinate, and there is nothing being done about this rather disgusting issue. Although there are paid toilets at the Service Bus Stand, shopkeepers and passerbys openly urinate on the wall. Ts here is a large PLASTIC FREE ZONE sign installed at this place – which must be changed to A WARNING ON URINATING both in Kannada and English to the general public. There is a Police… Read more »