New Delhi: Mr G Mathivathanan, Principal Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department, Government of Odisha, today said that Odisha has been a frontrunner paving the path towards sustainable sanitation practices and the state is taking up the challenge of treating hundred percent greywater generated across urban Odisha to achieve total sanitation covering both black and greywater management.
Addressing the Outreach Event for ISC-FICCI Sanitation Awards 2022, Mr Mathivathanan said that Odisha’s association with the ISC- FICCI Sanitation Awards began in 2019 with special recognition of the state with six awards.
He said community-led and community-centric decentralized solutions are the DNA of our approach towards various urban challenges like solid waste, liquid waste, and urban poor living in the slums in urban Odisha.
“We are committed to continuing our pathbreaking initiatives and programs not only to bring about transformative changes in the lives of the people in Odisha but also to serve as inspiration for other similarly challenged states and countries,” said the Principal Secretary.
He further said that with the implementation of FSSM, the state has close to 100 function septage treatment plants. These plants will have the surplus capacity to cater to the rural areas with rural-urban convergence.
Speaking on the safety and dignity of the sanitation workers, he said Odisha through the Garima scheme provides higher wages, special allowances, comprehensive social security benefits, and financial assistance for the sanitation workers. “We are happy to partner with women self-help groups and transgender groups in managing the sanitation activities from construction to operation and maintenance of sanitation infrastructure,” he said.
“It was heartening and encouraging to see that our efforts in mainstreaming and empowering the transgender community received the best performer award in the sanitation sector in the Women Changemakers Category which got instituted last year.”
Dr RA Mashelkar Chair, ISC-FICCI Sanitation Awards said purpose, persuasion, and passion matter. Like the various revolutions, the need of the hour is a clean revolution. The ISC- FICCI Sanitation Awards, he said are very powerful instruments to help the Swachh Bharat Mission. Our greatest concerns said Dr Mashelkar has been replication with speed, scale, and sustainability. “We have created an affordable, scalable, rapid, and distinctive framework that will bring complete transparency to the award process,” he said.
Speaking on the multiple dimensions of the ISC Awards, Dr Mashelkar said that the Rashid Kidwai Innovation awards, besides the ISC-FICCI Sanitation Awards have been created to identify the best in the sector of innovation. “Science must solve, technology must transform, and innovation must impact, and The Rashid Kidwai Innovation in Sanitation Award is framed with these core values.
Padma Shri Ms Naina Lal Kidwai, Chair, India Sanitation Coalition and Past President, FICCI said, “The ISC-FICCI Sanitation Awards was set up to showcase the best in India. We believe that there are excellent examples of what is working in the country but not enough replication of what is indeed working. For many of our awardees, she said we have the advantage of sharing their journeys and how they can be benefitted from the awards and more importantly to enable and encourage others to replicate the success of what they have achieved.” The importance of the ISC- FICCI Sanitation Awards, said Ms Kidwai, is to showcase and benchmark success.
Dr Natasha Patel, CEO – India Sanitation Coalition said, the ISC-FICCI Sanitation Awards have evolved not just organically but inorganically, and they have been impacted by the SMB 1 and SBM 2.
To understand how the awards are adjudicated, she said the process is extremely transparent. “We have introduced a wider jury and looking at wastewater management, solid waste in areas like plastic and municipal solid waste. “Effectively with the govt, we are now evolving strong narratives on the DDWS side thinking towards lighthouse villages and the urban sector with MoHUA we are looking at zero-waste cities,” she said.
She further mentioned that each time we showcase an awardee, they are showcased in more than one way. Speaking about the Rashid Kidwai Innovation Awards she said this time, the awardees will be supported by incubators who will help them to grow.
Dr Sanjeev Shekar Jha, Director, ISC delivered the vote of thanks.
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