CII to construct 10,000 toilets in government schools in next 1-1/2 years

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) proposes to construct 10,000 toilets in government schools over the next one-and-a-half years, giving a boost to the 'Swachh Bharat' initiative by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

With an estimated cost of Rs2-5 lakh per pair of toilet blocks (for girls and boys) the proposal involves an overall cost of approximately Rs350 crore.

CII president-designate Sumit Mazumdar, chairman and managing director of TIL Ltd, launched 'Mission -Sanitation of Schools (SoS)', an initiative to involve with companies in the construction of school toilets across the country.

''The CII will mobilise construction of 10,000 toilets in the first phase, which will be done by the end of fiscal year 2015-2016. Based on the feedback received and assessments on ground, in the next six months, the CII will announce targets for the second phase,'' Mazumdar said.

The first phase of the programme will cover states such as Bihar, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Kerala.

Mazumdar said CII will facilitate the construction and maintenance of toilets and help enterprises identify schools where these are needed to be built.

The CII's task force will also create a mechanism for maintenance, periodic monitoring, evaluation, impact assessment and reporting.

''With greater emphasis on structured Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from this year, companies are keen on increasing their engagement through specific projects and we expect the industry to wholeheartedly support and participate in the 'Swachh Bharat' initiative'', Rakesh Bharti Mittal, chairman, CII National Council on CSR, said.