WB govt, UNICEF urge corporates to make second phase of Mission Nirmal Bangla a success

To make the second phase of the Mission Nirmal Bangla a success in West Bengal, corporates, civil society organisations and other stakeholders should play a positive role, a senior state government official said on Monday.

Nirmal Bangla is a mission to eliminate open defecation from the rural landscape of the state. It is the state counterpart of the national Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan.

In the second phase of Mission Nirmal Bangla, solid waste generated from villages would be collected and converted into organic manure for use in agriculture and the plastic waste generated in the rural areas of the state will be properly recycled, Mission Director of Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) in West Bengal, Santosha GR, said.

The first phase of the project was a ''success'' as those entities played a positive role, Santosha said at a Consultative Workshop of Corporates, CSOs, and Development partners on Swachh Bharat organised jointly by the state government and Unicef here.

''All interested in collaborating with the government to make the second phase of the project a success are requested to join hands. Anybody interested in collaborating with the government can come on board and make the programme a success,'' he said.

It has been a continuous effort and the government needs support from all quarters.

Citing the example of a model solid waste management project in the Purba Bardhaman district, Santhosha said that 16 such model programmes have been started and running successfully in various parts of West Bengal. In the second phase, these models would be replicated in other parts of the state, the mission director said.

To do it, the government needs the help of industries, civil society organisations, NGOs and UNICEF, he said.

''UNICEF, corporates, CSOs and NGOs can work together to reach the last mile of the objectives and missions of the Swachh Bharat Mission. Behavioural changes and supply of tap water in toilets are necessary to boost the use of sanitary toilets and reap the benefits for the rural population,'' chief of UNICEF in West Bengal Mohammad Mohiuddin said at the meeting.

UNICEF has provided technical support to the solid waste management units in Purulia, Howrah and Malda to convert solid waste into compost manure and this model is being put forward to the government for wide use. ''The units are self-sufficient, running successfully and providing jobs to the rural population,'' Mohiuddin said.

''Private sector can collaborate with the government and UNICEF would provide the technical assistance to make such projects more fruitful. Corporates can support the government with the money kept aside under corporate social responsibility,'' he said.

Mission Nirmal Bangla aims at constructing latrines in households, especially in uncovered households in rural areas to ensure zero defecation in the open.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)