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<ul><li>As many as 100 district courts in India lack ‘She’ toilets. </li><li>And merely 40% washrooms are entirely operational across 555 district courts. </li><li>The court complexes are short of security systems as well. Only 11% of the courts have a baggage scanning facility. </li><li>The Indian government has spent nearly ₹70 million to refine court complexes.</li></ul>As many as 100 district courts in India lack ‘She’ toilets. And those who have toilets aren’t doing much better either. Across 555 other district courts, merely 40% of the washrooms are operational, shows a<a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/no-toilet-for-women-in-15-of-district-courts-study/articleshow/70490426.cms?from=mdr"> survey conducted</a> by legal think-tank reforms Vidhi. The states of Goa, Mizoram, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh have the least number of operational washrooms. This is despite the government’s ‘<keyword id="2517872" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Swachh-Bharat-Abhiyan">Swachh Bharat Abhiyan</keyword>’ which spent nearly ₹70 million to refine court complexes. Locked Bathrooms Last month, Indian Express reported on the unavailability of washrooms for women advocates. The report titled <a href="http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2019/jul/20/woman-lawyers-get-toilet-in-court-complex-2006555.html">‘Women advocates get a raw deal</a>’ revealed that the staff toilets were locked mostly and women needed permission to use them. In fact, most of the <keyword id="6371750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="district-court">district court</keyword>s also lack vital facilities including bank branch, canteen and post office. Only half of the district court complexes have waiting areas. “Despite being a basic requirement, only 54% or 361 district court complexes had designated waiting areas,” TOI reported citing the findings from the survey. In addition to this, the court complexes are short of security systems as well. Merely 11% of the courts have a baggage scanning facility in place while a third of them have no fire extinguishers. And, half of them do not have emergency exit signs. The survey paints a grim picture of the condition of Indian district courts. According to<a href="https://www.livelaw.in/news-updates/rajasthan-hc-improve-court-conditions-cj-inspection-146341"> LiveLaw</a>, the Rajasthan High Court has directed to improve the condition of courts to ensure basic hygiene and cleanliness. The survey included 6,650 respondents from the total 655 district court complexes across the country. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/miscellaneous/we-went-shopping-at-bed-bath-beyond-and-saw-why-the-company-is-plotting-a-turnaround/slidelist/70368848.cms">We went shopping at Bed Bath &amp; Beyond and saw why the company is plotting a turnaround</a>

In Indian courts, ‘She’ toilets are either missing, unoperational or locked

<ul><li>In a joint report by the <keyword id="6355833" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="united-nations">United Nations</keyword> (UN) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>'s education system has shown a surge in <keyword id="49770" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sanitation">sanitation</keyword> facilities. </li><li>Until a decade ago, it was only half the schools with some sort of solution which has now increased to nearly all the schools in India having some sort of sanitation facility on campus. </li><li>While this may be good news, India still has a long way to go in terms of providing even the most basic of hygiene solutions in schools.</li></ul>India’s education system, until recently, was plagued by the absence of sanitation facilities. But, as per a <a href="https://data.unicef.org/resources/wash-in-schools/" data-type="tilCustomLink">new joint report</a> by the the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP), the scenario has changed drastically. As per their analysis, nearly all of India’s school now have some sort of sanitation facility. Until a decade ago, it was only half the schools in the country that had any sort of hygiene facilities on campus. In a country like India, sanitation facilities play a key role in boosting female attendance in schools while also creating a healthy learning environment. According to the report, the girls are more likely to miss school when they are on their period if no washroom is provided. That’s five days a month culminating to almost two whole months in a year. Dedicated washrooms are generally frowned upon in rural areas due to societal perception of solid waste as unsanitary within the areas where people live. India’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan (SBA), a mission to clean up the streets and add sanitation <keyword id="17408" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="infrastructure">infrastructure</keyword> to Indian cities, could be considered the driving force behind increasing awareness that thwarting that misconception. Sanitation and India Progress on this front meets goal 6 of the <keyword id="879547" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="sustainable-development-goals">sustainable development goals</keyword> (SDGs) which addresses clean water and sanitation. More specifically, goal 6 has a target of ending <keyword id="6394194" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="open-defecation">open defecation</keyword> by 2030. More than that, the increase in sanitation facilities meets goal 4, which ensures inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. That being said, the reality of the situation is a little bittersweet. Despite nationally issued guideline on menstrual waste management, only 66% of the schools in India have some sort of menstrual hygiene education integrated into their school curriculum. While looking into how many schools have bins with lids for the disposal of sanitary materials, the percentages varied from state to state. Developed areas like Chandigarh have bins with lids across 98% of the schools whereas their less-developed counterparts like Chattisgarh only have a 36% coverage. On top of that, Mizoram is the only state to have functional incinerators for the disposal of sanitary waste in more than 50% of its schools. Even as something as basic as safe drinking water is only present in 30% of the schools in India. And, only-third of the schools have some form of the most basic types of toilet facilities. While, the increase and pace of sanitation is encouraging, there are still 900 million children in India who go to school without having anywhere to even <keyword id="387262" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="WASH">wash</keyword> their hands.

Nearly all of India’s schools have some sort of sanitation facility, but is that enough?

<ul><li>India generates about 2 million tonnes of <keyword id="6361522" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="E-waste">e-waste</keyword> annually. </li><li>Out of this only about half a million is recycled. </li><li>Maharashtra is the highest contributor to e-waste generated in India.</li></ul>The Associated Chambers of Commerce &amp; Industry of India (ASSOCHAM-NEC) on the World Environment Day (5 June) this year published a <a href="http://www.assocham.org/newsdetail.php?id=6850">report</a> which ranked India among the top five countries generating e-waste. Despite government schemes such as the <keyword id="2517872" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Swachh-Bharat-Abhiyan">Swachh Bharat Abhiyan</keyword> and the <keyword id="2421305" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Smart-City-project">Smart City project</keyword>, India continues to hold its position as one of the top e-waste generating countries. The other countries high on the list are China, USA, Japan and Germany. India generates about two million tonnes of e-waste per year and recycles about 438,085 tonnes annually. Maharastra is the largest contributor, accounting for 19.8% of the e-waste produced, but only recycles about 47,810 tonnes of that per year. According to the study, here’s how the other states fare on the production and recycle scale. All figures are annual ones: <ul><li>Tamil Nadu accounts for 13% and recycles about 52,425</li><li>Uttar Pradesh accounts for 10.1% and recycles about 86,130</li><li>West Bengal accounts for 9.8%</li><li>Delhi accounts for 9.5%</li><li>Karnataka accounts for 8.9 %</li><li>Gujarat accounts for 8.8% </li><li>Madhya Pradesh accounts for 7.6%</li></ul> So, what exactly IS e-waste? Discarded electronics like computers, motherboards, circuit chips, printed circuit boards, mobile phones, data storage devices, TVs, refrigerators, headphones, display screens etc...all come under the e-waste category. Unsafe <keyword id="114175" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="recycling">recycling</keyword> and disposal of such e-waste emits chemicals and pollutants. High and prolonged exposure to these by-products can damage a person's nervous system, blood, kidneys and impair brain development. The pollutants can also cause respiratory disorders, skin diseases, bronchitis, lung cancer, heart, liver and spleen damage, says the report. “The sad part is that a mere 5% of India's total e-waste gets recycled due to poor infrastructure, legislation and framework which lead to a waste of diminishing natural resources, irreparable damage of environment and health of the people working in the industry. Over 95% of e-waste generated is managed by the unorganised sector and scrap dealers in this market, dismantle the disposed of products instead of recycling it,” the report added. The global e-waste is expected to increase upto 52.2 million tonnes or 6.8kg per individual by 2021 for 44.7 million tonnes reported in 2016. The net worth of all the e-waste present exceeds $61 billion as of 2016. This is more than the GDP of most of the countries in the world.

Trashing up: India produces more e-waste than most of the world, says report

Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra, who became the faces of <keyword id="2517872" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Swachh-Bharat-Abhiyan">Swachh Bharat Abhiyan</keyword> might feature in its upcoming campaign as the government tries to impart new energy into Modi cabinet’s mission for national cleanliness. 
 
Reportedly, the government has reached out to the actors for featuring in radio advertisements on Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani's radio channels, and for their participation in a short promotional film which would soon be produced to raise awareness about the mission. 
 
"Bachchan and Chopra have assured their time for any promo film we make, for free," a senior official told ET on the condition of anonymity. "Brand ambassador Sachin Tendulkar last year lent his voice to a Swachh Bharat video anthem," he added. 
 
Once Ambani gives his consent for government’s proposal to run subsidised, if not free, advertisements on BIG FM, the Swachh Bharat team will start working with the Reliance Group for a communications campaign. 
 
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was launched by PM Narendra Modi on October 2, 2014, and aims for nation cleanliness by 2019. 
 
<a href="http://datastore01.rediff.com/h1500-w1500/thumb/4F6259655A5464655B656B586A636B716D72/1w9orw4ro8e9xpnj.D.0.Amitabh-Bachchan-with-Priyanka-Chopra-at-Dettol-NDTV-Banega-Swachh-India-Cleanathon--2-.JPG">Image source </a>

Amitabh Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra will power up Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

Warning of stringent action against black money hoarders, Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> today said 37,000 shell companies indulging in tax evasion have been detected and more than three lakh firms are under the scanner for suspicious dealings post demonetisation, according to PTI news report. He emphasised it would become more difficult for people stashing illicit funds in Swiss banks once automatic tax information exchange regime begins between India and Switzerland. <keyword id="6354642" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Modi">Modi</keyword> said his government is committed to taking even tougher action against those helping hide black money and he is not at all concerned about any political implications of strong moves. The impact of the government's steps on checking black money is clear from the latest figures of Swiss banks, which show that Indians' money parked there has dipped to a record low, the prime minister added. Taking a dig at the previous government, he said the amount had risen sharply by 42 per cent in 2013, referring to a period when the Congress-led UPA regime was in power. In an hour-long speech at the foundation day function of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), the prime minister sought to send out a strong message against chartered accountants trying to help entities in black money dealings even as he underlined their powers and responsibility. "The government has cancelled registration of over 1 lakh companies in a single stroke and more than 37,000 shell firms have been identified for strong action," he said. Referring to November 8, 2016 when the government demonetised old Rs 500 and 1,000 currency notes, Modi said he had heard that after the move, the work of the CAs increased and that even many of them cancelled their <keyword id="188" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Diwali">Diwali</keyword> holidays. Stressing that he was going to mention about certain numbers for the first time, he said "more than three lakh registered companies" have come under the scanner for suspicious activities after demonetisation. Data mining about the money that has come into the system after demonetisation is going on, he added. In a veiled dig at the CAs who might have helped entities in dealing with illicit funds post demonetisation, Modi said that he heard that after November 8, CAs had to do a lot of work but not sure how many did work for their clients and how many for the nation. Modi also wondered as to why action has only been taken against just 25 of them for irregularities, while more than 1,400 cases have been pending for many years. According to him, CAs need to safeguard society's economic health and they have a big responsibility. "Your signature is more powerful than that of the prime minister and the government also believes the accounts signed by you," he said addressing the CAs. Further, he asked CAs that if they know anyone with black money, they should warn them that they would not be spared. Along with <keyword id="2517872" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Swachh-Bharat-Abhiyan">Swachh Bharat Abhiyan</keyword> (Clean India), the government is also cleaning India's economy and it has taken tough stand against those who have looted the nation, the prime minister stressed. CAs should take a pledge to bring people under the tax nrather than boasting about the number of clients they have saved from paying taxes, he added. He exhorted them to take charge of bringing their clients to path of honesty and said a wrong audit can impact lives of gullible investors as people take investment decisions on the basis of their audit reports. While stating that there are four goals of a human being -- dharma, arth, kama and moksh -- Modi said that in the economy, it would not be wrong to say that chartered accountants are rishi munis (saints). Alluding to the concept that even if one member of a family breaks the rules, then the family ends, Modi urged the CAs to lead their clients on the path of integrity. "Your patriotism is no less than mine" in ensuring the development of the country, he said. While emphasising that the CAs have been given a new opportunity with the <keyword id="6354679" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="GST">GST</keyword> where they also have a crucial role to play, the prime minister urged them to start preparing the roadmap for 2024 -- when the institute would be completing 75 years. "Never let the opportunity slip out of your hands," he said. More than two crore went on foreign trips last year but there are only 32 lakh people who have declared income above Rs 10 lakh, Modi said and wondered whether there can be only that much number of people with high income. He also called for creating four big Indian accounting firms that are counted among the world's Big-8 even as he cautioned CAs against misuse of their all-powerful signature. The prime minister walked on the dais like it was a town hall event and his speech received thunderous applause. Finance Minister <keyword id="42575" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Arun-Jaitley">Arun Jaitley</keyword>, other ministers as well as bureaucrats were present at the function which was also telecast at various city capitals.

Three lakh shell companies under scanner

As the Indian government wants to scale up PM Narendra Modi’s ambitious ‘<keyword id="2517872" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Swachh-Bharat-Abhiyan">Swachh Bharat Abhiyan</keyword>’ and invest around Rs 2.23 lakh crore by October 2019, it may levy cess from the common man even to provide basic sanitation. 
 
The government is mulling over levying 0.5% cess on petrol, diesel and telecom services, a 1% cess on accumulated waste produced by mineral generation plants and a 0.5 percentage point increase in service tax. 
 If everything falls in place, this could be announced during <keyword id="6360189" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Union-Budget">Union Budget</keyword> on February 29. 
 
This recommendation was given by a sub-group of chief ministers on Swachh Bharat set up by Niti Aayog. 
 
"The sharing pattern of funds for this programme between the Centre and states may be in the ratio of 75:25, while for hilly states it may be kept at 90:10," said the sub-group. 
 Under the <keyword id="63500" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cleanliness-Drive">cleanliness drive</keyword>, the government wants to construct household toilets, community and public toilets and scientific waste management. 
 
(Image: Thinkstock)

Tax Alert! You could soon be paying cess for the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan!

There is more than Rs 43,000 crore of unclaimed provident fund money in India, and the government is considering using it to fund its flagship schemes like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Housing for All. This means that if you don’t claim your PF now, it could be used to fund government schemes in the future. 
 
As per officials, the idea was popped up by government's think tank NITI Aayog, which overlooks the key schemes of Indian government. The idea was proposed so that these projects are not delayed due to lack of funds. 
 "We are looking into the proposition of taking a loan from <keyword id="6372438" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="EPFO">EPFO</keyword>'s unclaimed kitty to partially pump money into some of our schemes," a senior official of NITI Aayog told ET requesting anonymity. 
 
The government is yet to decide whether the money would be used in the form of a loan or bonds. The EPFO has already invested the PF amount of more than '7 lakh crore in government securities, bonds, debts and equity. 
 
"We are open to the proposal of lending money to the Centre from the unclaimed PF amount provided we earn higher rate of interest on it," said a senior labour ministry official. "We have the flexibility of parking money anywhere, but it has to backed by some security because this is workers' money which can be claimed at any time," he said. 
 
These flagship programmes require huge amounts of money so that they can be implemented and completed timely, including Rs 2 lakh crore for constructing 12 crore toilets across India by 2019 under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Rs 6 lakh crore to build 6 crore houses under Housing for All programme by 2022. 
 
<a href="https://letstalkpayments.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Can%E2%80%8B-I%E2%80%8B-Transfer-Money-from-US-to-India-%E2%80%8Bsame-day-Inexpensively-and-Easily%E2%80%8B.jpeg">Image source</a>

If you don’t claim your PF now, it could end up in government’s kitty

The report on how <keyword id="2312336" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Swachh-Bharat-Mission">Swachh Bharat Mission</keyword> was successful is out and states that cities in eastern and southern part of India did better than northern and western India. 
 The <keyword id="3246333" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Swachh-Sarvekshan">Swachh Sarvekshan</keyword> survey that gauged the impact of <keyword id="63500" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cleanliness-Drive">cleanliness drive</keyword> in 73 cities stated that Mysuru remained the cleanest of all, followed by Chandigarh and Tiruchirapalli. 
 However, <keyword id="6354814" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="prime-minister-Narendra-Modi">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</keyword>’s Varanasi constituency was among the 10 dirtiest cities and Dhanbad ranked the worst. 
 
A first such survey was done in 2014, which was a 476-city survey. Then also, Karnataka’s Mysuru had emerged as the winner. 
 
If we compare the two analysis, cities that have improved include Visakhapatnam, Surat, Rajkot and Gangtok. 
 
Meanwhile, the 10 dirtiest cities include Ghaziabad and Meerut. 
 
In Delhi, South and North Delhi Municipal Corporation improved rankings and were at 47 to 43, respectively. 
 
Tamil Nadu’s Chennai ranked 37 in comparison to its fourth position in 2014. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

Swachh Sarvekshan spells bad news for Modi’s Varanasi, Mysuru emerges cleanest of all

It is the <keyword id="3862167" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="World-Toilet-Day">World Toilet Day</keyword> and India needs to get its house in order in terms of sanitation. Many people don’t even know that it is their basic human right to water and sanitation. 
 
Reportedly, out of 120 crore people in the world who defecate in open, 59% are from India. Lack of toilets does raise a stink on various such as hygiene, sanitation and also security regarding women. 
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi too had vouched for building toilets in the country while launching his ‘<keyword id="2517872" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Swachh-Bharat-Abhiyan">Swachh Bharat Abhiyan</keyword>’ on October 02 last year. 
 
While, the campaign saw lot of investment from the government’s side, India has a long way to go to have each and every household with a toilet. 
 
Meanwhile, when everyone is talking about building toilets, we have some funny pictures of signs outside washrooms found in India. 
 
Here’s a look 
 
(Images: Pininterest, Indiatimes, LOLIndian.com)

World Toilet Day: Here are 6 funny signs outside restrooms in India

As the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Indian+government" target="_BLANK￿￿￿￿">Indian government</a> is all set to levy its <keyword id="2692614" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Swachh-Bharat-cess">Swachh Bharat cess</keyword>, the Indian Inc says it is not ready for it yet. 
 
The government, in its <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=union+budget" target="_BLANK￿￿￿￿">Union Budget</a>, had announced that a cess of up to 2% would be levied to fund <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=prime+minister+narendra+modi" target="_BLANK￿￿￿￿">PM Narendra </a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=prime+minister+narendra+modi" target="_BLANK￿￿￿￿">Modi</a>’s pet campaign ‘<keyword id="2517872" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Swachh-Bharat-Abhiyan">Swachh Bharat Abhiyan</keyword>’. 
 
The 0.5% cess on all taxable services was notified by the Centre. 
 
"It may be seen that all issues relating to Swachh Bharat cess are addressed in the service tax provisions itself by virtue of the applicability of Chapter V of the Finance Act, 1994, and the rules made thereunder," the finance ministry stated. 
 But, the Indian industry says this is against the PM’s claims of <keyword id="6354423" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ease-of-Doing-Business">ease of doing business</keyword> in India and also sought clarity on certain issues. 
 
Also, the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=ficci" target="_BLANK￿￿￿￿">Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce &amp; Industry</a> (<keyword id="6355001" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="FICCI">FICCI</keyword>) said the eight day's notice was too short and that the cess should be implemented from January. 
Experts in India Inc say that changing billing system in the middle of the month, especially in festive season, will prove to be difficult. 
 
The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=cii" target="_BLANK￿￿￿￿">Confederation of Indian Industry</a> (CII) also asked if the cess would be creditable. 
 Meanwhile, India Inc said the cess should have been levied in line with the Goods &amp; Services Tax (<keyword id="6354679" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="GST">GST</keyword>). 
 
Even telecom operators voiced the same concern and asked for a delay. 
 
“There is no clarity whether credit of Swachh Bharat would be available as in the case of service tax. In case the credit is not available, the net incidence of the cess would be higher than 0.5% on services on account of cascading. Similarly, the cess would also impact the price of goods as there would be an incidence of cess on input services,” Bipin Sapra, partner, EY, told ET. 
 
Also, the value and rate is unclear, what the effective rate of tax would be for services that are taxable at an abated rate. 
 
The finance ministry explained that the taxable value for the levy of Swachh Bharat cess would be the same on which service tax is levied. 
 
“The cess would be calculated on abated value or value arrived at under service tax. On the issue of point of taxation, the statement said norms laid down in Rule 5 would apply. Therefore, in case where payment has been received and invoice is raised before the service becomes taxable, i.e., prior to November 15, 2015, there is no liability of Swachh Bharat cess,” stated the finance ministry. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

India Inc wants deferment in Swachh Bharat cess, says it will affect ease of doing business

<ul><li>HUL has facilitated environmentally <keyword id="2335463" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="safe-disposal">safe disposal</keyword> of more than 1.2 lakh tons of post-consumer-use plastic waste since 2018. </li><li>HUL has partnered with various organisations for the collection of plastic waste.</li></ul>Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) today announced that from 2021 onwards it will collect and process more plastic packaging waste than the plastic in packaging used by it. The company will enable processing of over 1 lakh tons of post-consumer plastic waste through collection from all of the states and Union Territories. Since 2018, HUL has facilitated environmentally safe disposal of more than 1.2 lakh tons of post-consumer-use plastic waste. In 2020, despite the Covid pandemic, the Company stepped up its efforts in the reduction of plastic waste. This has been made possible through investment and partnerships to improve the waste management infrastructure in over 100 towns across India. HUL has partnered with various organisations for the collection of plastic waste including Saahas, Carpe, Recykal, Planet Savers, RaddiConnect, Geoycle, Ramky Enviro. Through its partners and with support from Municipal Corporations, the Company has reached out to housing societies and commercial establishments to improve the collection of plastic waste. The Company is also working in partnership with the <keyword id="162448" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="United-Nations-Development-Programme">United Nations Development Programme</keyword> (UNDP) and the international organization Xynteo. Through these partnerships, material recovery facilities have been set up in Mumbai to demonstrate the feasibility of inclusive end-to-end waste management solutions. Apart from this, the Education Department of Maharashtra, HUL and Xynteo have rolled out a digital school curriculum focused on the importance of segregation, collection and safe disposal of waste. The programme reached nearly one lakh children in Maharashtra during its pilot last year and is currently being scaled across the state. Sanjiv Mehta, Chairman and Managing Director, HUL, said, “Our vision is one where key stakeholders work together to ensure that plastic stays in the economy and out of the environment. As a responsible company, we are committed to playing our part. We believe that this is a collective responsibility, and each stakeholder needs to play an active role in managing plastic waste to fulfil the vision of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.“ Willem Uijen, Executive Director Supply Chain, HUL, explained, “This is in line with the commitment we have made for a circular economy. We have taken a head start on implementing the proposed Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework for plastic waste management. HUL has also developed an ecosystem of partners enabling the collection and safe processing of plastic packaging waste. We have now scaled up our joint efforts to collect more plastic packaging waste than our total plastics footprint, four years ahead of what we previously thought was possible.” Natasha Zarine, CEO of CARPE (Centre for Applied Research and People’s Engagement) said, “With HUL's support we have carried out disposal of large quantities of plastic waste since 2018 in a safe and environment friendly manner. The partnership has also helped positively impact the lives of workers involved in waste collection. HUL has been the pioneer in implementing EPR in India and their support has helped our start-up grow and expand into new territories. This helped us to work towards our national ambition of Swachh Bharat”.

HUL aims to achieve 100% plastic waste collection this year

New Delhi, Jan 31 () Stating that steps are being taken on a regular basis to prevent rail accidents, the Economic Survey on Friday said consequential train accidents registered a decline in 2018-19.
 It said number of consequential train accidents decreased to 59 in 2018-19, compared with 73 in the previous year. In 2019-20 (April-October 2019), 41 consequential train accidents took place.
 "Safety is accorded the highest priority by Indian Railways and steps are being undertaken on a continuous basis to prevent accidents and to enhance safety of the passengers," according to the Economic Survey 2019-20 tabled in Parliament.
 The Indian Railways with over 68,000 route-kilometres is the third-largest network in the world under single management.
 During 2018-19, the Indian Railways carried 120 crore tonnes of freight and 840 crore passengers, making it the world's largest passenger carrier and fourth-largest freight carrier.
 Revenue earning freight loading by Indian Railways in 2018-19 was 12,215 lakh tonnes as against 11,596 lakh tonnes during 2017-18, registering a rise of 5.34 per cent.
 Passengers originating stood at 84,390 lakh in 2018-19 as compared to 82,858 lakh in 2017-18, registering an increase of 1.85 per cent in 2018-19 over the previous year.
 Indian Railways cover over 8,700 stations and carry around 230 lakh passengers daily with clientele of varied socio-economic backgrounds.
 Cleanliness is a continuous process and every endeavour is made to keep the stations and coaches in properly maintained and clean condition, the survey said.
 Special cleanliness campaigns under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan were launched by the Indian Railways on October 2, 2014.
 "Regular intensive campaigns/drives have been organised since then by the Indian Railways with the sole objective to achieve significant and sustainable improvements in cleanliness standards," it said.
 Modernisation or upgradation of railway stations in Indian Railways is a continuous process, the Survey said adding that 1,253 stations have been identified for development under Adarsh Station Scheme and are planned to be developed by 2019-20.
 A dedicated special purpose vehicle, Indian Railway Station Development Corporation (IRSDC) Ltd, has been set up to carry out modernisation of railway stations.
 IRSDC is working on modernisation of many stations on the public-private partnership mode. SID HRS

Consequential train accidents decreased in 2018-19: Survey

The <keyword id="6356595" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="South-Delhi-Municipal-Corporation">South Delhi Municipal Corporation</keyword> (<keyword id="413995" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="SDMC">SDMC</keyword>) has mandated all <keyword id="6361054" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="South-Delhi">South Delhi</keyword> <keyword id="4365660" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="hotels-and-restaurants">hotels and restaurants</keyword> to make their <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/World-Toilet-Day-Funny-signs-outside-toilets-in-India/articleshow/49845942.cms">restrooms</a> accessible to the general public. 
 
This idea, which would give a boost to the ambitious <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Tax-Alert-You-could-soon-be-paying-cess-for-the-Swachh-Bharat-Abhiyan/articleshow/50667026.cms">Swachh Bharat campaign</a>, was given by Lt Governor Anil Baijal. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Modis-Swachh-Bharat-Abhiyan-gets-one-more-partner/articleshow/54561345.cms">Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan gets one more partner</a> 
 
The hotels and restaurants are allowed to charge upto Rs 5 per usage, so that their maintenance and cleaning charges are covered. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Students-of-IIM-A-are-helping-this-Gujarat-village-market-toilets-to-tribals-villagers/articleshow/51852988.cms">Students of IIM-A are helping this Gujarat village market toilets to tribals, villagers</a> 
 The change, which would instantly make over 3500 <keyword id="4513296" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Restrooms">restrooms</keyword> accessible to Delhi public, will be brought into effect from April 1. 
 
(Image source: Smashing)

You Searched For "Swachh Bharat Abhiyan" and got 13 results

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Consequential train accidents decreased in 2018-19: Survey

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SDMC to make restrooms in South Delhi hotels and restaurants open to all

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