Govt to CPSEs: Construct 2500 toilet blocks under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan by March

New Delhi: Union Steel and Mines Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has told heads of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) reporting to his ministry that they must identify and construct 2500 toilet blocks under the government's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan by March 2015.

This missive was given at a review meeting held here under his chairmanship.

Tomar advised CPSEs chiefs to ensure that the identification and blocking of schools and placement of work orders must be completed by December 2014, and the construction of schools should be completed by March 2015.

He also said that the quality of construction must be of high standard and long-lasting, as it would have a bearing on the reputation of the organization and the ministry.

The PSEs under Ministry of Steel had earlier decided to construct 3500 toilet blocks at an aggregate cost of Rs 100 crore. Out of these, they had identified about 2400 toilet blocks and placed this information on the website of the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

The remaining are being identified.

Similarly CPSEs under the Ministry of Mines had allocated Rs 7.5 crore approximately, for construction of toilet blocks.

Out of planned 334 schools for toilet blocks, 135 schools have been identified and blocked on the website of Ministry of HRD, and the remaining are being identified.

Construction of toilets in respect of both the Ministries is in preliminary stage and is expected to gain momentum by the year-end.

Secretary (Steel) Rakesh Singh, secretary (Mines) Dr Anup K Pujari and other senior officers of both ministries attended the meeting.

Chairmen and manging directors of SAIL, RINL, MOIL, NALCO, MECL, HCL, MSTC, KIOCL, HSCL and MECON were also present.