SRINAGAR, JULY 22: Secretary, Rural Development Department (RDD) and Panchayati Raj, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, on Monday inaugurated a two-day refresher training program for master trainers on the implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen (SBM-G) Phase II at Jammu and Kashmir Institute of Management, Public Administration and Rural Development (JKIMPARD) here.
Director General Rural Sanitation, Anu Malhotra, Superintending Engineer REW Kashmir, Er. Aamir Ali, Deputy Director Rural Sanitation, Sana Khan, master trainers, and other officers attended the workshop.
While addressing a gathering, Dr Shahid emphasized the importance of behavioural change for achieving sustainable sanitation in Kashmir. He highlighted the need to move beyond infrastructure development and focus on altering people’s attitudes towards sanitation.
Secretary also emphasized that while toilets and common facilities have been constructed, achieving true Open Defecation Free (ODF) status requires a shift in mindset. He outlined three key components for successful implementation: adequate government infrastructure, well-trained departmental staff, and active community participation.
Dr Shahid stressed the need for a multi-pronged approach, involving government, trained staff, and community participation to achieve sustainable sanitation. He urged participants to focus on identifying infrastructure shortcomings and capacity-building needs, emphasizing the importance of effective training and community engagement.
Director General Rural Sanitation, Anu Malhotra emphasized the crucial role of comprehensive training in achieving the goals of the Swachh Bharat Mission-G.
She highlighted the progress made in J&K, noting that it has achieved the status of ODF (Open Defecation Free) Model Plus. However, Malhotra pointed out existing gaps that need to be addressed to ensure sustainability.
Laxmikant Shinde, a Resource Person from PriMove Mumbai, gave a detailed presentation on participant introductions, participant expectations, and training overview, including objectives, ground rules, and the pre-training evaluation questionnaire.
The program was also attended by ACP Srinagar, Altaf Hussain, Dr. Shafia Wani, a faculty member at IMPARD and others.
