Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Aug 20 : In keeping with his commitment to construct exclusive toilets for women living in the border areas of district Kathua, Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, MoS in Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Space & Atomic Energy, today personally met Union Minister of Rural Development Nitin Gadkari and submitted to him a detailed proposal-cum-project report for the purpose.
Dr Jitendra Singh explained to Gadkari that in case of women, particularly in villages, for want of privacy, open defecation during day time is difficult and they normally go out-door only during night time. But, he added, the situation is much more difficult and peculiar in case of women living in border areas since they are not able to go for open defecation even during night because of the wide presence of military and paramilitary personnel deployed for night patrolling due to security reasons. Frequent cross border firing in the night hours further adds to the problem and makes open defecation risky, he said.
Requesting for appropriate orders for construction of Community Sanitary Complex exclusively for women under Total Sanitation Campaign in villages in border areas of Kathua District in Udhampur Constituency, Dr Jitendra Singh urged upon Nitin Gadkari to initiate the process, if possible, before the Model Code of Conduct is announced in view of the forthcoming Assembly elections in the State. Since it is a serious human problem affecting hapless poor women, Dr Jitendra Singh requested the Minister of Rural Development to kindly take up the project on priority and urgent basis.
He said,open defecation is generally because of socio-economic reasons and poor sanitation facilities but open defecation by women and girls must be seen as a national shame and therefore by initiating this project, he would fulfill one of his most important election promises made by him for Kathua District before the Lok Sabha poll, while the other major promise of construction of an inter-state bridge at Keediyan-Gadyal stands already sanctioned.
Nitin Gadkari responded to Dr Jitendra Singh’s request with enthusiasm and instructed the concerned officers to immediately start paper-work for the project on exclusive women toilets for border areas of Kathua District. He also assured Dr Jitendra Singh that he would ask his department to construct superior class toilets with good quality material.
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