It is vital to establish effective district level mechanisms to eliminate the practice of open defecation in India. In 2006-2007, a record number of 9,746 Gram Panchayats applied for selection under the Government of India’s Nirmal Gram Puraskar incentive-based sanitation promotion award programme. However, fewer than half - 4,437(45.5%) of GPs - were selected, the majority - 5,309 (54.5%) - being rejected during the verification process for not meeting the eligibility standards. “This huge number is a matter of concern”, writes Action for Food Production (AFPRO) in a report to the Ministry of Rural Development on whose behalf they assessed applications from villages in Satara and Nanded Districts of Maharashtra for 2006. AFPRO had deployed five multidisciplinary teams from its Ahmednagar office in Maharashtra to assess the applications.

Since the launch of Nirmal Gram Puraskar in 2003, central government provides incentives of between Rs. 50,000 (€865) to Rs. 50 lakh (€86,500) depending on population size, to local government agencies at state level – Gram Panchayats, Panchayat Samitis, and Zilla Panchayats – as well as to individuals and institutions for making sustained efforts towards achieving total sanitation.

Criteria

The following can receive the Nirmal Gram Puraskar incentive:

1. Gram Panchayats, Blocks and Districts, which achieve 100% sanitation coverage in terms of a. 100% sanitation coverage of individual households, b. 100% school sanitation coverage c. free from open defecation and d. clean environment maintenance.

2. Individuals and organizations, who have been the driving force for effecting full sanitation coverage in the respective geographical area.

Not leading to sustainability

AFPRO questions the consistency of the whole initiative, which if unchecked would be limited to achieving short-term gains without leading to sustainability. Facilitating institutions, including district and block level bodies and local groups/organisations, have to take responsibility for such a large number of applications being rejected during the verification process.

The incentives should not be seen as a short term gain, but as a motivational instrument for all the institutions involved in promoting the total sanitation campaign. The States can also take appropriate measures at the district levels to check the applications from Panchayats, to avoid the high rate of rejection and loss of enthusiasm among communities, as well as the huge costs involved in the process.

“The day everyone of us gets a toilet to use, I shall know that our country has reached the pinnacle of progress.”

Jawaharlal Nehru, First president of India

The programme can be boosted by proper facilitation awareness raising at local level, promoting appropriate technological options and financial arrangement. Emphasis should always be on achieving behavioural change rather than on the creation of infrastructures to gain the opportunity to achieve sustainability offered by the awards.

Key challenges

AFPRO identified the following challenges for the Central Government:

• Incentives to the Zilla Panchayats and Blocks are not being effectively used, requiring better coordinated efforts by officials of the district and block teams with elected representatives to facilitate effective community processes.
• Although the approach is successful in creating the demand for better sanitation in communities, there is a need to introduce credit facilities at local level to meet demand from poor families. The role of credit societies in the Satara District in extending support to individual households to construct sanitation options of their choice is a model worth replication.
• A serious matter of concern is the small percentage of economically weakest population left out of the process due to their inability to meet the cost of toilet construction.
• Disposal of garbage and animal waste, and maintaining cleanliness around water sources, especially near hand pumps/wells, should be given equal importance in deciding on Nirmal villages.
• Sanitation interventions beyond human excreta management also need attention. Unless animal excreta management, solid and liquid waste management are taken care of, environmental sanitation conditions cannot be improved.
• Garbage bins are being used at a few households in the villages visited, but by and large, garbage is being dumped on public land.
• It is observed that constructing drains is the preferred option for liquid waste disposal, over other options such as kitchen gardens or soak pits. However, the treatment of wastewater collected through the networks of drains is not being given importance. Promoting kitchen gardens or plantations at these terminal points could add value.
• Proper water facilities are not available in the sanitary blocks of many schools, and as a result, hygienic conditions are not maintained in these schools.

In May 2007 the Minister for Rural Development announced that his ministry is formulating a similar incentive scheme for the rural communities for “Saving and Conserving Water” by rain water harvesting, water recharge and waste water management.

For more details: WES-Net India newsletter No 8, PDF file

Contact: S.C.Jain, Programme Coordinator, AFPRO - Action for Food Production, 25/1A Institutional area, Pankha Road, D- Block, Janakpuri, New Delhi – 110058 INDIA, tel: 28525452, 28525412, 28522575 e-mail: Further details on the Nirmal Gram Puraskar visit the web site

Tags: sanitation