Centre launches nationwide Drinking Water & Sanitation Awareness week

The Center today launched a National Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation Awareness Week at Village Kankrola-Bhanglora of Gurgaon District in Haryana. The week long campaign inaugurated by Shri Birender Singh, Union Minister for Rural Development , Drinking Water and Sanitation and Panchayati Raj will conclude at Kohima, Nagaland on 22nd March commemorating the celebration of World Water Day. During the campaign, there will be an extensive awareness drive on construction and use of household toilets, keeping the villages clean, safe handling and use of drinking water, awareness of quality of drinking water, water conservation, community managed water supply systems in rural areas involving grassroots level institutions like Village Water and Sanitation Committees, Panchayati Raj Institutions, Angwanwadi , ASHA Workers, schools teachers, Women Self Help Groups and Youth Clubs.

The function was attended by Union Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation Shri Ram Kripal Yadav and Shri Rao Narbir Singh, Minister for Public Health Engineering and Public Works Department of Haryana Government and senior officials of the Central and State Governments.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Birender Singh laid stress on building and use of toilets. He also participated in a padyatra along with other Ministers and senior officials organized with participation of school children, who will be the messengers to spread the message to rural population. Five villages were also awarded with Nirmal Gram Puraskar on this occasion. Other speakers also emphasized on sanitation and judicious use of water.

Ten Swachhata Raths and mobile water quality testing vans were dispatched to various parts of the districts to create awareness among the rural masses. Similar programmes were also organized in other parts of the country. This programme is being carried out across the country in all panchayats involving Ministries of Rural Development, Health & Family Welfare, Panchayati Raj, Women & Child Development among others.



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