GIVING THEM THEIR DUE
For a young state, Chhattisgarh has made impresssive strides in rural development and in moving up the swachh index
Chhattisgarh is a relatively new state but it has been at the forefront of launching initiatives that have received praise from across the country. Inclusive development has been a trait associated with Chhattisgarh right from its inception. The revenue accrued from mineral wealth mining, used judiciously, has had a big hand in this.
The District Mineral Foundation (DMF) was created specifically to give back to areas where mineral wealth is exploited, helping the state achieve numerous social sector targets. Simply put, the DMF is a not-for-profit body with contribution from the district’s miners. In Dantewada, home to the famous Bailadila iron ore mines, the DMF has created assets not seen in even so-called prosperous districts. The fully staffed district hospital is one such initiative, so is the education city developed at Jawanga, which has earned the district administration national awards. The district is using the DMF to even create livelihoods, from rearing of livestock to call centres.
Promoting cleanliness has also been a state priority and has achieved interesting results, especially in the construction of toilets in urban areas, waste management and toilets for girls in schools. The turnaround is most visible in its smaller urban centres. None of the million-plus cities in the state figure in the top ranks in the Centre’s Swachh Survey 2018 but a whopping seven towns with a population of less than 100,000—including Jashpur, Saraipali and Birgaon—figured in the top ten. The number goes up to 25 in the top 100 list.
How was this achieved? Chhattisgarh, with its hilly and forested terrain, never saw open defecation as an issue till the time it became a national programme. But once it did in 2016, the results starting pouring in. “We ensured that systems were process and not personality driven, that programmes were not dependent on one person taking care of things. This ensured results uniformly across urban bodies,” says Niranjan Das, secretary, urban administration.
By 2017, the results began showing. Ambikapur, a town with a population of about 150,000, was adjudged the cleanest city in the sub-200,000 population category. The Ambikapur model was then adopted as a template across the state. Ambikapur also won the award for the best city in innovation and best practices by the Union urban development ministry in 2018.
The model entails collection and segregation of waste at source by trained women from self-help groups (SHGs). The women collect about 45 MT of waste every day. Earlier, the municipal body was spending Rs 1.25 crore in managing waste. Now it earns about Rs 7 lakh as user charges and sells the segregated waste for about Rs 1-3 lakh per month. The waste management initiatives provide employment to more than 9,000 women and cover 4.5 million households collecting 1,400 tonnes of waste every day. “About 87 per cent of the waste generated in the state is being used,” adds Das. For the bigger municipal bodies, Chhattisgarh plans to use waste to generate electricity. A refuse derived fuel (RDF) plant has been proposed at Raipur while the one at Bilaspur is already up.
There are challenges that remain. Chhattisgarh, with an urban population of 23 per cent, needs to plan its future since migration to urban areas is a continuous process. “We have a vision document that takes into account these challenges,” says Das. “All infrastructure, including housing
Waste management initiatives give work to over 9,000 women and cover 4.5 million households
projects, created is being done with an eye on the future.”
The rural development department has ensured that drinking water supply and sanitation in rural areas are developed. The Ujjwala scheme, promoting the shift of households to clean LPG, has reached out to even remote villages in the north and central parts.
The revamping of the public distribution system (PDS) is another step that has helped the state attain inclusive development. While Chhattisgarh has pushed an aggressive agenda for industrialisation and added immense generation capacity on the energy front, the leakages in the PDS were cut down by 82 per cent by 201112 to ensure that subsidised foodgrains reached the targeted beneficiaries. The results are there for all to see.