Suchitwa Keralam and the Haritha Karma Sena, the machinery behind the new Nirmalam waste campaign

Background

The Nirmalam campaign now being rolled out across Kerala is run by the Local Self Government Department with the Suchitwa Mission, so the standing sanitation machinery is worth knowing.
Suchitwa Keralam is a State-sponsored scheme under the Local Self Government Department that partly funds waste management projects implemented by grama panchayats and urban local bodies.
It covers solid waste processing plants and their modification, collection and transportation equipment, source-level treatment of biodegradable waste, septage treatment plants and institutional sewage treatment.
It also funds IEC activities including workshops, research and development and capacity building, and assistance to self-help groups and entrepreneurs working in waste management.
The Suchitwa Mission is the supporting institution and has empanelled service providers to help local governments set up source-level treatment.
The Haritha Karma Sena collects non-biodegradable waste door to door and, in urban areas, uses motorised and battery-operated vehicles.
Rural work under the scheme includes sanitary complexes and toilet reconstruction, while urban work includes construction and demolition waste plants and mechanised septage management.