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Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
It's still the fields as toilets in Nandurbar's tribal communities remain on paper
Nandurbar: Ranjana Sonawane, the first Aadhaar card holder, has got her Ladki Bahin dues that were held up over a mix-up in the bank last week, but she still has to battle the ordeal of not having a toilet facility and is forced to resort to open defecation. Other women from Tembhli in Nandurbar district still trek to the open fields before dawn for their ablutions. Bricks lined up for an unconstructed toilet block stand as a silent testament to unfulfilled government promises. "In the monsoon, it gets very difficult," Ranjana said with resignation in her voice. She points to a wall with small shrubs with thorns where the women are forced to go. Community toilets are non-functional and water nowhere to be found. Despite govt's ambitious Swachh Bharat Abhiyan which promised toilets for all, many tribal communities across Nandurbar district remain without sanitation facilities. Under the Swachh Bharat initiative, govt provides a financial incentive of Rs 12,000 per household for toilet construction, shared between central (Rs 7,200) and state governments (Rs 4,800). But there's a catch—the money is disbursed only after construction is complete. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Most Hyped Tecno Pova Curve 5G Starts at 15,999 TECNO Mobile Book Now Undo This reimbursement-based model has created a paradox for the district's poorest residents. They don't have the money to start building toilets before govt funds arrive. "We do not have money to meet our ends. Govt can give us money to construct the toilets," Ranjana said. Bharati, another resident from the village, said, "We do not have enough money to meet ends. How can we spend money on constructing a toilet?" The situation worsens in tribal hamlets in Dhadgaon and Akkulkuwa talukas in the district. Tribal women there have no clue about the scheme. "We are not aware of this govt scheme. We do not have water. How can we construct toilets?" says Shekhu Pawra, her weathered face reflecting years of hardship. Pulsingh Pawra said that their village Sawra Digar has no electricity, roads or even adequate water supply. "During summers, we have to queue up at the nearest lake which too dries up," he explains, highlighting the more fundamental infrastructural issues plaguing the region. Official data shows about 2.90 lakh households in Nandurbar district have benefited from the scheme, but thousands of applications remain "under assessment." A field officer from Nandurbar, who requested anonymity, said over 11,000 households in these areas have approached them saying that they do not have funds to construct toilet blocks. "The target is high and we have not been able to bridge this gap," he added. He explained that many beneficiaries are covered under PMAY (rural) where they have to construct their houses with toilets, and the state govt grants them a subsidy of around Rs 2 lakh for constructing their houses. In the district until last month, a little more than 1 lakh beneficiaries are listed under the scheme. Ranjana says she is not a direct beneficiary under PMAY rural scheme, but her son's name is on the list. However, they have no clue how and when they can start construction of a pucca house. Local administration officials said that Tembhli village with a population of over 3,000 has 275 independent toilets. A survey is going on, and the rest will be constructed, they added. District collector Mitali Sethi said that a survey is underway to determine how many toilets are constructed and how many are still awaiting construction. "Details are being mapped and I will look into it," she added. Villages across Dhadgaon and Akkalkuwa tehsils present a peculiar mix of homes without toilets and others with half-built structures abandoned due to insufficient funds. Even where toilets have been constructed, practical problems prevent their use. "There is no water. We travel long distances to get drinking water. It is unthinkable for us to use it for toilets," a resident of Dhadgaon taluka said, highlighting the interconnected nature of infrastructural challenges. BOX Promised Infrastructure A Long Way Off Throughout Nandurbar district, many completed toilet blocks stand repurposed as storerooms for firewood, fodder, or cooking utensils—a practical adaptation to an impractical solution. In January, under Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen Phase 2, the central government declared 95% of India's villages as ODF Plus (Open Defecation Free Plus), claiming a 460% surge from December 2022 to December 2024. For Maharashtra, official figures show about 60% of villages (24,746 of 40,247) have been verified as ODF Plus models, with another 6,305 categorized as "aspiring villages." Yet the ground reality in Nandurbar's remote hamlets tells a different story—one where the lack of upfront funding, water scarcity, and practical challenges continue to keep Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2014 sanitation promise out of reach for the most vulnerable communities, leaving women to continue their daily trek to the fields in search of privacy and dignity
India Today
23-04-2025
- General
- India Today
Dry promises: Tap water eludes UP's Bundelkhand despite government claims
Despite rapid infrastructure development, the issue of clean drinking water continues to plague Uttar Pradesh's Bundelkhand. Residents of Chureh Kesharva village in Chitrakoot are facing an acute shortage. Taps, tube wells, and hand pumps dot the villages, but water remains scarce, forcing women and children to travel long distances to fetch seriousness of the situation can be gauged by the fact that a nine-year-old girl, Annu, carries multiple 20-litre buckets of water daily, despite weighing only 15 kg. Her mother attributes their struggle to incomplete tap connections, saying, "The family's plight is due to incomplete tap connections." advertisementSimilarly, Ranjana, a 12th-grade student in the village, relies on hand pumps for water. She repeatedly fills bucket after bucket, demonstrating her endurance in the face of adversity. "They promised water connections that never materialised," a resident said, frustrated by the negligence affecting her progress in providing tap water connections under Jal Jeevan Mission in Uttar Pradesh is slow. The Chitrakoot District Magistrate said that efforts are underway to improve supply, promising, "Plans are in place to saturate the area with tap water connections within six months."The Jal Jeevan Mission has approved 40,951 schemes in Uttar Pradesh, with a total budget of Rs 1,52,521.82 crore. Officials have reported 100 per cent tap water coverage in 24,576 villages, benefiting over 4.86 crore people. However, the stark reality in Chitrakoot tells a different story, exposing the gap between policy promises and everyday Watch IN THIS STORY#Uttar Pradesh
Time of India
22-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
After 9 months of wait, India's 1st Aadhaar recipient gets Ladki dues
Pune: Ranjana Sonawane 's happiness knew no bounds on Monday when she received a demand draft for Rs 13,500 as a Mukhyamantri Mazhi Ladki Bahin Yojana beneficiary after Nandurbar's collector Mitali Sethi intervened. Ranjana from Tembhli village in Shahada tehsil of Nandurbar district in Maharashtra was the first recepient of Aadhaar in 2010. But she was deprived of the Ladki Bahin benefits as her card was linked to someone else's bank account in Mumbai where the monthly welfare benefit was deposited for the last nine months. A TOI report on April 18 highlighted Ranjana's plight where she made futile efforts to rectify the error. 'I will use Ladki dues of 9 months to pay son's fees & for other expenses' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo After receiving the demand draft, Ranjana told TOI, 'I waited for so long and made several rounds of govt offices and banks for the benefits. The administration acted promptly after the media report. I will use the amount for my son's college fees, and other family expenses,' she said. Sethi, who had told TOI that she would look into Ranjana's case, coordinated with the bank's officials in Mumbai for delinking the fraudulent account. She said: 'We initiated the recovery process from the account where her benefits were being transferred. The bank gave us a demand draft on Monday. It was handed over to Ranjana by Shahada tehsildar Deepak Girase.' Sethi also supervised the opening of a new post office savings account for Ranjana on Saturday for the Ladki Bahin benefits transfer. Girase said, 'We have handed over the DD to the recipient and will check for any more fraudulent accounts like hers.' The bank will complete its investigation into the account where Ranjana's Ladki Bahin amount of Rs 1,500 was being transferred since July 2024 when the Mahayuti govt in Maharashtra launched it before the Nov 2024 assembly election. Vivek Walvi, Nandurbar district's women and child development officer, said, 'We ensured that Ranjana got the entire amount from July. Her new account in the post office has been linked to her Aadhaar and the April amount will flow to this account.' Both Girase and Walvi will also check the entire list of beneficiaries and monitor others' complaints. Sethi said Rajana's case may not be the only one among the state's 2.5 crore Ladki Bahin beneficiaries. She has set up a dedicated helpline for Nandurbar district to assist others facing similar issues. Complaints can be registered on the state grievance redressal portal or on 02564210047. The collector said she will look into Rajana's gas subsidy too which has the same Aadhaar linked problem. 'An investigation will be carried out into how such fraudulent accounts are created, and action will be taken against those involved,' she added.
