Siddipet shortlisted for Swachh Bharat Awards

Siddipet (Medak dist): The Siddipet Special Grade Municipality has emerged as a role model to the rest of the nation in the implementation of the Swachh Bharat campaign. It has been shortlisted for the Swachh Bharat Mission Awards by the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) following a survey conducted by ASCI on the services being extended by the civic body.

Other States are to emulate the Swachh Bharat Mission works implemented in Siddipet like individual latrine and solid waste management (segregating both the wet and dry waste). These two programmes in particular were recommended to the Centre six months ago, on behalf of Wealth Out of Waste (WOW) ITC Siddipet.

The ASCI study team after surveying the various municipal wards concluded that there was a significant participation of the people in the development of the town thanks mainly to the efforts of Irrigation Minister Harish Rao.

Members of the ASCI team, Professor Ravindra, Srikanth, Tararao and Gowthami visited Siddipet and reviewed the Swachh Bharat works during a seminar chaired by Municipal Chairman Kadavergu Rajanarsu on Thursday. The team held discussions with the members of the Mahila Samakhya and Municipal officials, on how the civic body was successful in implementing the campaign.

Rajanarsu told the team members that Harish Rao had striven relentlessly for the involvement of the people to develop the town as a clean and green centre. He said the minister had gone door-to-door to impress upon the residents, the need to construct individual latrines. This resulted in Siddipet turning out to be a model for the nation, said Rajanarsu.

Municipal Commissioner Ramachary said the minister’s campaign for constructing individual latrines had become a model for the State, making the Siddipet constituency unique in that it was now free of open defecation.

By K Rangachari