DEGREES ranging from law to engineering under their belt, about 400 youngsters are now living in some of India’s least developed districts, starting their day at 4 am, visiting spots that villagers use as toilets, drawing up plans for building toilets, and reviewing village-wise plans for better access to sanitation, while working closely with district magistrates or collectors. These men and women, all in their mid-twenties, are the ‘Zilla Swachh Bharat Preraks’ of a programme run jointly by the Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation along with Tata Trusts with the objective of ending open defecation by 2019.
The Zilla Swachh Bharat Prerak Programme was announced last December with Tata Trusts chairman Ratan Tata saying that a cadre of skilled young professionals, one in each rural district, would work with the state government or district administration, at no cost. About 600 youngsters will eventually be appointed, on a stipend up to Rs 50,000 paid by Tata Trusts.
Read more of this informative report by Kavitha Iyer published in The Indian Express......
