Maharashtra governor stresses on better rural sanitation

Maharashtra state governor, K Sankaranarayanan, has stressed the need for better cleanliness and sanitation in the villages. He was speaking on Monday as the chief guest during the distribution of Nirmal Gram Puraskar (NGP) for 2010 to sarpanchs of 694 villages in the state at Shiv Chhatrapati sports complex, Balewadi.

Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, Union rural development minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and state minister for water supply and sanitation, Laxman Dhobale, were also present. Sankarnarayanan released a booklet and the magazine, Nirmal Samvad.

Nirmal Gram Puraskar is presented by the Union rural development ministry and Rajiv Gandhi national water supply mission. This year, the awards were declared on March 23.

Complementing the sarpanchs for outstanding performances by their villages, the governor said, “Sanitation and hygiene have direct relevance to life. It is heartening to know that the Union government has developed schemes like the Sant Gadge Baba Swachhata Abhiyan (SGBSA) and Mahatma Gandhi’s Tanta Mukti Gram Yojana for the benefit of the people.’’

Chavan said villages in Solapur and Gadchiroli districts must improve their performance.

“Gram panchayats whose contribution is less than 10% need to work harder. There has to be full utilisation of the money granted for the development of the rural areas,’’ the chief minister said.

Deshmukh said he would help the state with funds. “The Centre has a budget of Rs1 lakh crore for development projects in rural areas. States must utilise it properly,’’ he urged, adding that states like Andhra Pradesh has better record than Maharashtra in utilising the funds for rural development.