The Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation Shri Bharatsinh Solanki said in a statement in the Rajya Sabha, Upper House of Parliament, in New Delhi today that the Nirmal Gram Puraskar (NGP) was launched in October 2003 and the first award was given in 2005. As per the revised NGP Guidelines, Gram Panchayats are eligible to apply for the NGP if they fulfill the following conditions:-
· The Gram Panchayat has adopted a resolution to ban open defecation within its entire area inclusive of all habitations and villages.
· All habitations within the Gram Panchayat jurisdiction have access to water for drinking and sanitation purposes.
· The Gram Panchayat has achieved the objectives for all the components as approved in the District Project under the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) and have entered the achievements in the IMIS of the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MoDWS).
Upon receipt of the application, the Gram Panchayats are also examined for achievements under the following activities:
- Coverage of Individual Household Latrine (IHHL)
- Coverage of School Sanitation
- Coverage of Anganwadi Sanitation
- Access to adequate water as per National Rural Drinking Water Program (NRDWP) Guidelines
- Activities under Information, Education and Communication.
- Activities under Solid Waste Management
- Activities under Liquid Waste Management
As on 10.12.2013, 28002 Gram Panchayats (GPs) have been awarded the NGP. An independent National level study was conducted by the Ministry in 2010 for impact assessment of Nirmal Gram Puraskar. The study covered 664 Gram Panchayats awarded NGP in 12 States. Main findings of the study are as under:
(i) 19.1% of the total surveyed households reported lack of access to any type of sanitation facility.
(ii) 67% of the surveyed households reported all members using the latrine regularly.
(iii) 91% of the schools and 71% of the Anganwadis had sanitation facilities.
YSK
