Sanitation in schools on govts priority list

BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has directed the Rural Development Department to give priority to sanitation measures in all schools and hostels. Naveen on Tuesday reviewed the implementation of total sanitation campaign (TSC) in the State. He directed that mainly schools and hostels meant for girls should have all sanitation facilities like lavatories, pipe water, electricity and overhead tanks. Though a majority schools in the state now have lavatories, many high schools are bereft of the facility. It was decided that lavatories would also be constructed in high schools under the Rashtriya Madhyamika Shiksa Abhiyan (RMSA) scheme. It was decided that the Rural Development Department will construct latrines in 4,500 of the total 7,900 high schools. The School and Mass Education Department will take up construction of latrines in the rest of the schools. The millennium development goals (MDG) have laid emphasis on improvement of sanitation measures in rural areas for  increasing standard of life. The deadline for implementation of the TSC has been extended to 2015. Till now 41 per cent above poverty line (APL) families, 57 per cent below poverty line (BPL) families, 96 per cent of the schools and 83 per cent anganwadi centres have latrines.  The Chief Minister also reviewed the provision of pipe water to villages. While 6,800 villages have pipe water facilities, work is on in 3,000 more villages. Sanitation measures will also be taken up in all these 9,800 villages.   Provisions for drinking water and overhead tanks along with latrine facilities will be made for the 8,000 anganwadi centres to be set up in the State. The Rural Development Department will make a provision of ` 25,000 for construction of each centre. The State Government will launch a special campaign in rural areas to make people accept sanitation measures.  It was decided that district-level officials will review the implementation of all these schemes regularly and inform the district collector. Rural Development Minister Bikram Keshari Arukh, Chief Secretary Bijay Kumar Patnaik, Development Commissioner RN Senapati, Rural Development Secretary SN Tripathy and senior officials were present.