Taking ahead Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Clean India Campaign', the village council in Maharashtra's Nagpur city has built hundreds of free toilets for the tribals under a scheme called 'Dastak Gram Yojana'.
Social worker Prabhu Chandra Shekhar and his organisation Jangan Raytai Tribal Development Organisation are constructing toilets free of cost in collaboration with the local district council in the tribal areas and villages of Nagpur.
Nearly Rs. 15,000 were spent in the construction of 16 toilets. A large portion of this expense was on transportation since the village lies in a very remote area.
Leading the group of nearly 50 to 60 people, Shekhar plans to provide more basic facilities in as many villages as possible. Facilities like drinking water, providing toilet and sanitation facilities in more villages, education and the possible IT-related activities are on his agenda.
Shekhar said that he was inspired by the Independence Day speech of Prime Minister Modi on August 15 last year, in which he had appealed to the Indians to take the responsibility of country's cleanliness in their hands.
"I cannot say about the economic change, but we expect that their physical health improves eventually. It is said that if a person is healthy, he or she can work more. So, it is quite possible that it makes them economically better," said Shekhar.
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The head of Itewahi gram panchayat, Rajendra Dudhbale, said that the new sanitation arrangement has helped the villagers.
"The establishment of toilets in my village some two-three months back has made the village cleaner. People now know the importance of cleanliness and get sick lesser. Earlier, at least one or two members of many families used to fall sick due to the worse sanitary conditions. Also, the medical expense of the villagers has reduced," he said.