Gandhinagar (Gujarat): Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has sanctioned Rs 240 crore for various initiatives under 'Nirmal Gujarat 2.0' to effectively strengthen the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on a broader scale in Gujarat.
To enhance public awareness of cleanliness in urban areas and position Gujarat as a leading state in cleanliness nationwide, the Chief Minister has decided to allocate incentive grants to municipalities based on their tax collection performance in sanitation.
"Under this plan, "A" and "B" class municipalities will receive a 100 per cent incentive grant for achieving 71 to 80 per cent annual sanitation tax collection, 100 per cent for 81 to 90 per cent collection, and 200 per cent for 91 to 100 per cent collection. Similarly, for "C" and "D" class municipalities, the incentive grant standard is set at 50 per cent for tax collection ranging from 60 to 70 per cent, 100 per cent for 71 to 80 per cent collection, 200 per cent for 81 to 90 per cent collection, and 300 per cent for 91 to 100 per cent collection," Information department of Gujarat said.
Each municipality will receive a matching grant of cleaning tax equivalent to the amount collected annually by that municipality. As per the resolution issued by the Urban Development and Urban Housing Department of the state for the effective implementation of "Nirmal Gujarat 2.0", the Chief Minister has sanctioned assistance for the development of major entry roads to towns and cities, as well as for the enhancement of one road within each town as an iconic road.
Municipalities are tasked with intensively cleaning roads up to 5 kilometres from city limits, while municipal corporations must clean roads up to 2 kilometres from city limits. Additionally, approach roads to towns will be cleaned, and one road will be designated as an iconic road.
For this purpose, the state government will provide financial assistance to municipalities and municipal corporations.
"Financial assistance of Rs 2 crores will be provided each to Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, and Rajkot Municipal Corporations; Rs 1.5 crores each to Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Jamnagar, and Gandhinagar Municipal Corporations; and Rs 1 crore each to "A" class municipalities, Rs 75 lakh each to "B" class municipalities, and Rs 50 lakh each to "C" and "D" class municipalities, totalling Rs 111 crores," the information department further said.
Municipalities and municipal corporations across the state will receive one-time assistance of Rs 1 lakh each for beautification efforts, such as installing sculptures, creating gardens, and planting trees, at every Garbage Vulnerable Point. This initiative aims to ensure cleanliness by permanently removing garbage and maintaining cleanliness at these locations. The state government has allocated Rs 16 crore for this purpose.
The Information department said that to foster a competitive spirit among local self-government bodies in terms of cleanliness, a quarterly competition titled "Maru Shaher, Swachh Shaher" (My City, Clean City) will be conducted, with categories based on the population of the towns.
Certificates of recognition will be awarded to the best collector, commissioner, regional commissioner, and chief officer based on their sanitation performance, as assessed through quarterly reports submitted by third-party agencies. Additionally, a total of Rs 16 crore will be allocated for awards to the winning cities.
Under this award, a municipality with a population of more than 10 lakhs will receive Rs 5 crores, a municipality with a population of less than 10 lakhs will receive Rs 4 crores, a class "A" municipality will receive a grant of Rs 3 crores, a class "B" municipality will receive a grant of Rs 2 crore, and a class "C" and "D" municipality will receive Rs 1 crore each. Financial incentives will be provided to sanitation workers, who play a vital role in the cleanliness and sanitation operations of the state's cities, by recognizing them as the best sanitation workers.
Each ward in Municipal Corporations will select one best sanitation worker monthly, who will be granted Rs 10,000. Similarly, at the municipal level, one of the best sanitation employees per municipality will also receive Rs 10,000 monthly. The state government will provide a total assistance of Rs 4 crores for the best sanitation workers. As part of "Nirmal Gujarat 2.0," the administrative departments of the Secretariat and their head offices will implement an annual cleanliness calendar and conduct sanitation cleaning activities.
Nirmal Gujarat 2.0 is part of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) and aims to build on the success of the Nirmal Gujarat Abhiyan from 2007, following the motto "Cleanliness is next to Godliness."
—ANI