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An inclusive
strAtegy
Bringing together various
stakeholders paid rich dividends
for Jyotirmoy Pal in making
Odisha’s Sundargarh district open
defecation free
g rowing up in a tribal village near
Santiniketan and graduating from
Visva-Bharati University helped
Jyotirmoy Pal become more aware of the issues
that India’s rural poor faced. As part of his
academic pursuits, he worked extensively in
Odisha’s tribal villages to educate them about
their rights. The Zila Swachh Bharat Prerak
programme was therefore just the right platform
for the 25-year-old to take this passion forward.
Deployed in Rourkela division in
Sundargarh district in October 2017,
Jyotirmoy’s first task was to make the district
administration understand the role of a
prerak. “I had to convince people in the system
that I was ‘a helping hand’ and not a ‘spy or
inspector’ from the ministry,” He won their
confidence visiting villages and interacting
with the Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin team
“I had worked with NGOs to understand the ground realities.
In a couple of months, Jyotirmoy
but knew nothing about how realised that greater participation from the
the government functions. I community was necessary, for which more
now understand a lot more swacchagrahis were hired. A major issue was
delayed payments for swacchagrahis, which
about the government he promptly addressed through meetings
machinery and see the work with the block development officers and
of high-level IAS officers from district-level MIS officers. He also designed
bags and triggering kits which would help the
close quarters.” swacchagrahis during their field activities.
Jyotirmoy Pal, prerak Various activities were undertaken to
Sundargarh, Odisha implement the strategy. Swacchagrahis were
TATA WATER MISSION -
4 4 TATA WATER MISSION - A Tata Trusts InitiativeA Tata Trusts Initiative
