core sector communique

Gates Foundation evinces interest in finding solutions to sanitation problem in India

Union Ministry of Rural Development has invited Bill Gates Foundation to partner with it in finding solutions to sanitation problem in India as 60 percent of the country’s 1.1 billion people still practice open defecation. Rural Development Minister and the Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Shri Jairam Ramesh met Bill Gates and his team members here and called for launching a global joint initiative for developing low-cost technological solutions for clean toilets in Railways also, as 11 million passengers commute daily without proper hygienic conditions. The Minister also sought help in devising Behavioural Change and Communication Pilots on the lines of Pulse Polio Campaign Model for toilet use in India. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had launched the initiative titled Reinventing the toilet last year at Rwanda, Africa to help bring safe, clean sanitation services to millions of poor people in the developing world. Shri Ramesh asked Mr Gates to have a more India focussed approach as 58% of all open defecations in the world is in India and the problem is particularly daunting in rural areas. Gates Foundation was urged to partner with Indian Institutes in the R&D field to help co-develop low-cost sanitation solutions. The Minister also sought Rs.200 crore as initial pitch for the Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation to improve the living conditions of people in the Central Indian Tribal Belt. BRLF provides support to Civil Society Organizations to scale up best practices to empower Community-Based Organisations to improve livelihoods of the extremely backward and poor people in 170 naxal-affected districts in 9 States. Mr Gates expressed interest in the objectives of the Rural Livelihoods Foundation and stressed for keeping the dialogue open for future cooperation. Shri Ramesh informed that Central Government has already committed Rs.500 crore for the BRLF and is trying to garner another 500 crore rupees from the Private Sector as initial corpus to kick start developmental programmes in the 900-tribal dominated Blocks.