Karnataka admin appoints women drivers for garbage collection vans at Gram Panchayat level

On Thursday, the Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department started appointing women drivers to garbage collection vans at the Gram Panchayat level. K.S. Eshwarappa, Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister, told ANI, "We are introducing a special initiative under Swachha Sankeerna programme by the RDPR department. Garbage picking vehicles are assigned at the Gram Panchayat level. Zilla Panchayat CEOs are taking special interests to appoint women drivers to garbage picking vehicles."

He further noted that Karnataka has approximately 6,000 Gram Panchayats, with Shivamogga, Haveri, Chitradurga, and Raichur districts each receiving 30 vehicles at the start. "Women will drive these vehicles to pick up the garbage within the Gram Panchayat. The department will train them in a driving school at the district level and issue the driving licenses," added Eshwarappa.

Women's role in cleaning villages of Karnataka

Women will take a larger role at the panchayat level in order to make communities clean while also empowering them to be self-sufficient. The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Department have emphasised the importance of involving self-help/groups women's in solid waste management at the village level, and interested women would be trained to operate garbage collecting autos. The RDPR Department is educating 18,000 members of self-help groups in collaboration with the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Rural Energy and Development, the Department of Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation, and the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), according to the state administration. In many areas, women are already involved in waste collection, said ministry reports. 

The RDPR Department has issued an order directing panchayats to identify women's self-help organisations or Gram Panchayat Level Federation (GPLF) groups under the National Rural Livelihood Mission for waste disposal in villages. These crews will be trained in everything from rubbish separation at the source to waste collection from the curb to scientific waste processing, according to reports.

The order further stated that Gram Panchayats must provide financial assistance till the garbage management organisations become self-sufficient. They can charge each household a fee for the garbage collection, which should be used for garbage disposal and management.

It should be mentioned that the Karnataka government has mandated "every village shall have at least one Swachhagrahi/ Sanitation Motivator, with preference to women candidates," according to Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department policy note (2020-2021). Swachhagrahis/ Sanitation Motivators are community members who have a strong interest in cleanliness and have been tasked with assisting the Gram Panchayat in carrying out the sanitation and waste management strategy.

Other key development projects in Karnataka

PM Narendra Modi has encouraged Karnataka's administration to successfully implement the recently created state school scholarship scheme for farmers' children so that it can be copied across the country, Chief Minister Basavaraj S Bommai said on Thursday. Bommai, who met with the prime minister, told reporters after the meeting that Modi welcomed the state government's decision to establish a commission to review government tenders, as well as the provision of a plot for homeless persons and the execution of the New Education Policy.

"The meeting with PM Modi was positive. Discussed in detail many issues especially related to administrative steps taken in the last 100 days after taking over as chief minister," CM Basavaraj Bommai said.

The state government in August launched 'Janasevaka' (people's servant), an online site, and 'Janaspandana,' an Integrated Public Grievance Redressal System  (IPGRS), to bring government services to citizens' doorsteps. Janasevaka is an initiative that aims to make it easier for citizens to access government services. People can get up to 56 government services delivered to their doorsteps by using a mobile application or website, or by contacting a call centre, such as home delivery of ration at subsidised rates, or an Aadhaar card, caste certificate, income certificate, senior citizen card, BBMP khatha transfer, and health card.

(with inputs from ANI/PTI)

Image: ANI/RepresentativeImage