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67 lakh household toilets in Delhi by 2019-end: Minister
New Delhi, Sep 4 (IANS) Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday said that Delhi’s civic bodies will construct five lakh community and 67 lakh household toilets by the end of 2019.
He also said that unlike previous years, ‘Swachh Survekshan 2019’ will encourage large-scale citizen participation and sustainability of initiatives to make towns and cities garbage-free and open defecation-free (ODF).
The survey, as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban, will be held from January 4-31 to rank all cities on the basis of cleanliness and sanitation.
The Minister was speaking at the inauguration of a workshop for municipal bodies here on the survey, claimed by the government to be the world’s biggest on cleanliness.
The workshop, he said, should pay attention to all aspects of making Delhi ODF and garbage-free.
“From segregation at the point of production, transportation of waste, and conversion of waste to compost and energy — the workshop should work on all these aspects,” Puri said.
Swachh Bharat National Mission Director V.K. Jindal said that the Ministry had launched a web portal ‘Swachh Manch’ to bring together volunteers/contributors and other stakeholders to the mission.
“Swachh Manch will enable uploading of pictorial evidence of citizens and organisations participating in the cleanliness initiatives, as well as record the number of hours voluntarily put in. It will also be integrated with the existing Swachhata App to act as a citizens’ grievance redressal platform,” Jindal said.
In order to help cities prepare for the coming survey, the Ministry has launched Swachh Survekshan 2019 toolkit and Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) ODF Plus and ODF Plus Plus certification protocol.
“While the SBM ODF Plus protocol focuses on sustaining community/pubic toilet usage by ensuring their functionality, cleanliness and maintenance, the SBM ODF Plus Plus will focus on achieving sanitation sustainability by addressing complete sanitation value chain, including safe containment, processing and disposal of faecal sludge and septage,” it said.
The first ever ‘Swachh Survekshan’ covering 73 cities was conducted in 2016, wherein Mysuru in Karnataka bagged the cleanest city award.
In 2017, Swachh Survekshan covered 434 cities with a population of one lakh and above. It widened its coverage to 4,203 cities in 2018. In both these surveys, Indore in Madhya Pradesh grabbed the title of India’ cleanest city.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.