Union Secretary DDWS reviews Jal Jeevan, Swachh Bharat Mission

JAMMU : Union Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, (DDWS), Ministry for Jal Shakti, Vini Mahajan, today chaired a review meeting of Jal Jeevan Mission, Swachh Bharat Mission and GOBARdhan here at Civil Secretariat. The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary, Jal Shakti, Shaleen Kabra; Union Additional Secretary and MD National Jal Jeevan Mission, Vikas Sheel and Union Joint Secretary and MD Swachh Bharat Mission, Jitendra Srivastava. The meeting had detailed discussion on various topics related to sanitation including management, disposal and repurposing of cattle dung under the GOBARdhan scheme. The UT officers briefed about house-to-house garbage collection and solid waste segregation at village level to elevate their tag from Open Defecation Free (ODF) to ODF Plus by the end of 2023-24. Furthermore, it was highlighted that plastic waste needs to be segregated, shredded and packed in the form of bales for scientific disposal. During the meeting, Union Secretary said that solid waste needs to be segregated at household level. He congratulated the UT administration for last year's progress under Swachh Bharat Mission. She also encouraged further momentum in solid waste management. The meeting also covered updates on Jal Jeevan Mission works including increase in number of households having a supply of tap water from around 6 lakh to over 11 lakh since 2019. Union Secretary asked the UT Jal Shakti Department to expedite and complete all pending Jal Jeevan Mission works and ensure participation of Pani Samitis for regular inspection and assessment of water supply projects. She also insisted on regular water quality testing by the Samitis and other stakeholders. Union Secretary directed that signages containing all relevant information be installed at every water supply project, clearly mentioning information about their execution, operation and funding. She emphasised the importance of community ownership and responsibilities for success of the Jal Jeevan Mission. Union Secretary also had interactions with Deputy Commissioners and sought their feedback regarding the flagship schemes and their implementations in the districts. The meeting was also attended by Commissioner Secretary Rural Development, Mandeep Kaur, Secretary in Jal Shakti Department, Deepika Sharma and MD Jal Jeevan Mission, G N Itoo besides other senior officers from various departments in person and virtually.