Chandigarh, December 31: As part of Prime Minister’s 100-days campaign launched on October 2, 2020 for providing assured safe piped water supply in all schools and anganwadi centres across the country, Punjab became the first State in India to achieve the target of providing all schools with assured pipe water supply for drinking, hand washing, toilet use, and for cooking of mid-day meals. The progress was highlighted in the review meeting taken up by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during PRAGATI Review of JAL JEEVAN MISSION held earlier on Wednesday.
Giving details, an official spokesperson of the Punjab government said that the Departments of Water Supply & Sanitation and School Education have covered all 22,322 schools including 17,328 Government Schools and 4,994 private schools. Work on providing similar connections in all anganwaris of the state is currently underway at an advanced stage and is likely to be completed within the 100 day deadline.
The Punjab Government is already implementing Mission Tandarust Punjab with an aim to ensure sound health of its citizens by ensuring supply of safe drinking water, the spokesperson added.
Notably, the Cabinet on December 30, 2020 has accorded approval to set up a ‘Society for Mission Tandrust Punjab (SMTP)’ to complement and strengthen the various activities of Mission Tandrust as well as Environment, Climate Change, Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development through Research and Development.
The society would also undertake pilot studies/projects, effective monitoring as well as promotion of activities to reduce environmental deterioration & mitigate adverse effects on environmental pollution/degradation on public health.
The underlying objective and functions of the society is to strengthen the various activities of revamped Mission Tandrust Punjab for creating healthy living environment through sub-missions by adopting ‘Whole of Government Approach’.
As many as eight lead departments viz. Health Welfare & Family would focus on Safe Food, Preventive Health, Forests Preservation & Wildlife on Green Punjab, Transport on Road Safety, Sports & Youth Services on Khedo Punjab, Agriculture & Farmers Welfare on Healthy Soil, Women & Child Development on Nutrition and Environment on Clean Air, Clean Water, Waste Management besides any other incidental or ancillary activity for betterment of environment & health of citizens.
Each Lead Department under their respective Sub-mission would prepare an Annual Plan of Action to achieve goals of ‘Key focus areas’. The other activities of Lead and Line Departments, which align with objectives of Mission Tandrust, would also be built into the Sub-Missions to widen scope and outreach of the Mission, specific R & D studies, investigations & field surveys with respect to all aspects of environment and ecology, augmenting and strengthening infrastructure & laboratory network for Air and Water quality surveillance & monitoring for different areas/locations in Punjab, specialized studies on health impact assessment, recalcitrant pollutants, inventorization of sources of pollution, measures for suggesting technologies, processes and procedures for abatement of pollution, scientific waste management, biodiversity conservation, enhancing Tree outside Forests cover and climate change besides providing technical & financial support to other State Organizations, Academic & Research Institute, NGOs involved in improving the environment of the State.
