“Clean, Green Village”

SHILLONG, AUG 26: The North Garo hills deputy commissioner has initiated the process for the “Clean & Green Village Award” a new scheme which has been introduced by the Meghalaya government to promote sanitation and hygiene through community involvement.

The Clean and Green Village Award seeks to trigger a sense of competition and community action toward cleaner and greener villages in the state.

Under this scheme, cash prizes will be awarded to the villages that are adjudged to be the best, based on certain criteria, in each of the C&RD blocks in a competitive mode. The selected villages will also be given an opportunity to propose a scheme for further development of the village.

The communities will have to act on parameters such as full recovery of solid and liquid waste from each of the households of the village, management of public and private sanitation, maintenance of common areas and forests. The principal idea is to minimize leakages of sewage and effluents to water bodies and catchment areas and to encourage best practices in the health and sanitation, environment sectors as well as village management.

In this connection, the DC has asked the BDOs to take necessary steps to inform the villages about the scheme in their respective blocks and to make application forms available to the interested villages. The category of villages will be decided on the provincial census of 2011 and the selected villages will be entitled to submit a felt need project to the implementing agency amounting to Rs 5 lakh, Rs 10 lakh and Rs 15 lakh depending on the size of the village population.

The last date for submission of applications has been fixed on August 31, period for field inspection by the Block  Committee and preparation for long list and submission will be up to September 30 and the time for field inspection and submission of short list by the District Level Committee has been given till October 31, 2013. – By Our Reporter