Union minister reviews state water and sanitation schemes

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, January 31: “The Government of India is committed to fulfil Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of providing pure drinking water and sanitation to every household and the State Government will be given all possible support to achieve this goal in Assam,” ensured Union Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation Ram Kripal Yadav today while reviewing the water and sanitation schemes of the State at a meeting held at Water and Sanitation Support Organization (WSSO) campus, Betkuchi, Guwahati.

Yadav reviewed the presentation of State’s Public Health Engineering Department on the status of water supply and sanitation, implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission in the State and WSSO activities in the State. After a thorough review, the minister urged the State Government to accord priority in providing pure drinking water and sanitation facilities in schools, to the economically backward classes, Scheduled Cast, Schedule Tribe and minority people of the State. The Union minister said, “If we achieve the goal of providing drinking water and sanitation, then we will be able eradicate 70 per cent of diseases”.

The Union minister also stressed that the State Government should work hand in hand and in a war–footing with the Central Government to make a real Swachh Bharat by 2019.

Earlier in the day, the Union minister launched a monitoring and evaluation tool developed under RWSSP–LIS in partnership with the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MoDWS). The World Bank has supported the MoWDS and tiol Informatics Centre in Developing the M & B software which is designed to improve accountability and good governce of service delivery to the rural communities.

The programme was also attended by senior officials of MoWDS, State’s PHE Department and World Bank.