Jal Shakti Ministry to train 18,000 members of women SGHs in Karnataka on solid waste management

SHG members will learn about renewable energy sources, solid waste management, different composting technologies for wet waste and more

Union Ministry of Jal Shakti on Tuesday said it will train 18,000 members of women Self Help Groups (SGHs) in Karnataka on solid waste management and utilisation of solar energy in rural areas.

"The Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Rural Energy and Development (MGIRED), in collaboration with the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, the Department of Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation, and the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), is training 18,000 rural women from Karnataka's SHGs (Self Help Groups) in various aspects such as solid waste management and solar energy utilisation in rural areas," said the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

"These trained women will be engaged as Swachha Karmikas by their local Gram Panchayats to carry out solid waste management duties including daily waste collection, waste segregation, Swaccha Vahini driving," said the Ministry.

"The goal of the programme is to provide SHG members with the knowledge and skills necessary to efficiently administer SwacchaSankeerna as a business module and to make the SWM unit self-sustaining, hence providing a source of financial assistance for SHG members," the statement said.

The classroom training that will be offered in all 30 districts this fiscal year would benefit 18,000 rural women, providing them with an alternative source of income, said Parameswar Hegde, Director, RDWSD (Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation Department).

SHG members will learn about renewable energy sources, solid waste management, different composting technologies for wet waste, the idea of bio gas for managing biodegradable waste, and the importance of menstrual health and its management after the training. The trained members are expected to carry out duties like as waste segregation, wet waste composting, and biogas unit management at their respective gram panchayats, which they learned during practical demonstrations, said the statement.

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