Suresh Prabhu appeals to industry to adopt and maintain bio-toilets in railway stations; develop water-less, odor-less and vacuum toilets

First ISC-FICCI Sanitation Awards & India Sanitation Conclave gets under way
NEW DELHI, April 27, 2017: Mr.Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister of Railways, today appealed to industry to come forward in a big way to adopt and maintain bio-toilets in railway stations.
He also exhorted industry to apply their business minds to develop water-less, odor-less and vacuum toilets.
Speaking at the first ISC-FICCI Sanitation Awards & India Sanitation Conclave jointly organized by FICCI and India Sanitation Coalition (ISC), Mr. Prabhu said that the ‘Swachch Bharat Abhiyaan’ initiated at the behest of the Prime Minister was progressing speedily with the state governments vying with one-another to achieve an open defecation free (ODF) status.
He said that to make India open defecation free, local action was necessary but aid from global community was also needed in terms of technological intervention. Mr. Prabhu said that there was a need for creating awareness about the usage of public toilets and added that besides building and maintaining toilets, it was critical to enhance sewerage systems as only a few of the sewerage treatment plants operated optimally.
Earlier, Mr. Prabhu felicitated the awardees of the first ISC-FICCI Sanitation Awards. The awards aim at identifying and recognizing the efforts of various stakeholders, across the whole sanitation value chain of Build-Use-Maintain-Treat. The awards celebrate the power of a multi-stakeholder approach and are an important step in recognizing and highlighting the good work to encourage others to emulate.
The India Sanitation Coalition has been established to bring organizations and individuals together on a common platform to find sustainable solutions for sanitation. It currently has over 150 organizations that are engaging in various capacities. ISC has initiated knowledge sharing platforms and engagement at the sate-level with the Governments of Rajasthan and Maharashtra. ISC was also conducting corporate roundtables and had launched a Media Sensitization Campaign. Besides, ISC was a part of the national working group on Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (NFSSM). FICCI serves as the secretariat and project office of the Coalition.
Mr. Parameswaran Iyer, Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation, Government of India, said that the need was to focus on behavioral change. The focus has shifted from building toilets to the use of these toilets as in many instances it has been found that though the toilet was built but it was used for other purposes such as a storage place.
Mr. Iyer said that his ministry had developed MoUs and frameworks to allow stakeholders to collaborate effectively in the ODF drive of the government and urged the private sector to contribute to the ‘Swachch Bharat Kosh’ to beef up the fund for ‘Swachch Bharat Abhiyaan’.
He added that private sector should adopt districts and blocks to promote sanitation and toilet technology such as twin-pits should be promoted in rural India.
HH Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, President, Parmarth Niketan, Founder/Chair, Global Interfaith WASH Alliance India, said that the country needed to first build toilets, then educational institutes and temples. Giving the call for ‘India First – Toilet Must’, Swamiji said that the change in the mindset was needed and World Toilet College was a step in the right
direction. He added sanitation should become meditation for spiritual leaders and they should reach out to the citizens and promote sanitation. Swamiji also spoke of all-ness and one-ness in the context of sanitation. His message was to focus on toilets first, then school and then place of worship.
Mr. Pankaj Patel, President, FICCI said that sanitation agenda goes beyond the realm of CSR alone to the broader spectrum of seeing the business opportunities in sanitation. And this is where FICCI sees the alignment with the coalition’s focus and approach. He said that an ecosystem approach to a cause like this which has a strong interconnect with the social and
environmental aspect and encompasses all stakeholders right down to the individual citizen, will be the way forward in devising a sustainable sanitation eco-system in the country.
Ms. Naina Lal Kidwai, Chair, India Sanitation Coalition, said that to become ODF, it was crucial to ensure universal access at household and institutional levels; appropriate systems for collection, conveyance, disposal of solid and liquid waste; good hygiene practices and clean storage of water and food. She added that to achieve this appropriate Behavior Change Communication needed to be strengthened.
Alluding to two of its interventions in sanitation at Unilever to make India ODF, Mr. Sanjiv Mehta, CEO, Hindustan Unilever, said that besides building infrastructure, the need was to create awareness. The Government’s aim to achieve the Swachch Bharat mission by October 2, 2019 cannot be accomplished in isolation. It is imperative for all stakeholders to join hands
and build partnerships to create a positive impact.
In a video message, Dr. R.A. Mashelkar, FRS, Chairman of the Jury, ISC-FICCI Sanitation Awards, said thatwhile selecting the awardees for ISC-FICCI Sanitation Awards, the main criteria was speed, scalability and sustainability of the endeavors. He added that more than 100 applications were received and it was great to witness the excellent quality work that was being done in this sector.
The awardees of the ISC-FICCI Sanitation Awards 2017 are:
1. Best Corporate Initiative in Sanitation: Tata Consultancy Services Ltd and ACC Ltd
2. Best Non-Profit Engagement in Sanitation: Aga Khan Foundation
3. Best Innovation in Sanitation: Shared by Consortium for DEWATS Dissemination (CDD) Society and Svadha
4. Best Financial Accessibility for Sanitation : Grameen Koota Financial Services Pvt Ltd
5. Media for Sanitation: Down to Earth and New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV)
Dr Bindeshwar Pathak was presented with a Special Jury Award - Life Time Achievement in Sanitation to recognize his indefatigable work which has revolutionized the sanitation space.
On the occasion the dignitaries released “Accolade- A photo journey of the distinguished ISCFICCI Sanitation award winning stories” and “Business of Change: Corporates in Sanitation: A collection of Corporate initiatives in Sanitation”