As part of the cleanliness initiative, the government has decided to set up solid waste management (SWM) processing centres in all village panchayats at a cost of ₹20 lakh each, according to Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K.S. Eshwarappa.
He told reporters that the Centre had provided grants of ₹2,000 crore for implementing the scheme in 6,021 village panchayats in the State.
The scheme had been taken up on an experimental basis at Hulagi of Koppal district. The remaining panchayats would be brought under the scheme in the next two years, he said.
An officer had already been appointed to handle garbage disposal in every district. Suitable government land in village panchayats were being used for handling waste. Panchayats that do not have government land had been told to buy private land, he said.
The government had also decided to install solar lighting system in all panchayat buildings in the State with the help of Central funding, the Minister said.To begin with, the scheme would focus on panchayat buildings while the street lights too would be brought under the scheme later, he said. The system would help reduce the financial burden of village panchayats as most are struggling to pay electricity bills, he said.
