Health and wellness clubs will be started in schools to sensitise children on good health and
sanitation, India's HRD Minister Kapil Sibal Tuesday announced.
Speaking at the launch of the National School
Sanitation Initiative, being undertaken jointly by the HRD and Urban Development ministries, CBSE and GTZ, Sibal emphasised on partnership with children in the sanitation drive.
He exhorted the children to take the lead and inspire everybody towards high standards of sanitation.
The main objective of the initiative will be awareness generation and behavioural change among the children who have a significant role in the sanitation programmes.
The programme will touch upon personal hygiene, safe sanitation, clean toilet habits, safe drinking water, disposal of waste water, human excreta disposal, waterless urinals, waste segregation and composting food hygiene,
conservation of green spaces.
Minister for Urban Development Jaipal Reddy said sensitisation of people was required on issues of sanitation, energy efficiency and conservation of natural resources.
He talked about the National Urban Sanitation Policy and how this new initiative could play a large role in mproving sanitation levels in the country.
On the occasion, Sibal released a School Sanitation Manual which will be part of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum. Reddy also launched a Bio-dynamic Waste Segregation Programme which seeks to educate
children about use of waste as a resource.
Minister of State for HRD D Purandeswari released the School Sanitation Report and actor Aamir Khan was declared the brand ambassador for the initiative.
The initiative assumes significance as 30.66 million urban households in India suffer inadequate access to sanitation facilities and either defecate in the open or use shared and community lavatories.
Besides, being an issue of human dignity, this
practice results in unsafe disposal of human excreta which has a severe impact on environmental and health outcomes.