Youth power being leveraged for waste management drive
Plug loopholes to raise sate’s ranking: Minister M B Rajesh tells LSGIs
Trivandrum / July 7, 2023
Thiruvananthapuram, July 07: Imparting a fresh dynamism to the ongoing Waste-free Kerala campaign, Suchitwa Mission has leveraged services of young professionals to support and strengthen waste management schemes of Local Self Government Institutions (LSGIs) across the state.
Inaugurating the training programme for young professionals enrolled for the initiative, Minister for Local Self Government and Excise Shri M B Rajesh said here that it is vital to ensure quality and efficiency of waste management projects in all local bodies, for which the young professionals could contribute significantly.
“The Local Self Government Department is giving top priority to ensure that the solid waste management schemes follow certain standards and quality parameters in all the local bodies. Still, there are variations in standards and quality of services delivered to people. This needs to be rectified by bringing in greater professionalism and close monitoring,” the Minister said.
The services of young professionals will be able to impart a fresh energy and momentum to the Malinya Mukta Nava Keralam campaign and raise the state’s ranking in hygiene and cleanliness, the Minister said.
Kerala’s position is all key social development indices are much above the national average. But that is not the case with waste management activities. We need to make concerted efforts to fill this gap. The Haritha Karma Sena (HKS) needs to be strengthened to set a model for the whole country, he said.
The government has already equipped all LSGIs with basic infrastructures for material collection and recycling of collected material through various schemes. Still, the state lags behind many others in hygiene and waste management ranking. Failure on the part of LSGIsto properly utilise the services of HKS, optimisation of capacities of the facilities and want of proper documentation are key reasons for this. Leveraging the services of the youth professionals would help fill these gaps, Shri Rajesh added.
Additional Chief Secretary Smt Sarada Muraleedharan, who presided over the function, said enrolment of young professionals will bolster the waste management activities of Urban Local Bodies.
Shortage of skilled human resource is a major reason for the lag in activities in many places. The young professionals joining the mission will be able to provide technology support for speedy and flawless implementation of schemes by local bodies, Smt Muraleedharan said.
City corporations and municipalities in the state will start getting the services of these young professionals from this month itself. Suchitwa Mission will further strengthen the activities and ensure co-ordination with the Urban local bodies, Suchitwa Mission Executive Director Shri K T Balabhaskar said.
Smt. Neethulal V, Director (Operations), Suchitwa Mission, proposed a vote of thanks at the function. The training programme concluded on Friday.
