Gandhi showed us the role of sanitation in nation’s development, former Chief Secretary S.M. Vijayanand has said.
He was speaking at a seminar on ‘Green protocol and environmental awareness in a Gandhian perspective,’ organised as part of the State-level declaration of green protocol here on Tuesday.
“Gandhi He had a public health perspective to the issue. He also understood the social dimension of it, of how only the so-called lower castes were made to clean. He wanted it to be an activity taken up by everyone. He also understood the economic angle of waste,” said Mr. Vijayanand.
He said Gandhi saw throwing of waste as a mental act, which shows moral degradation. “He believed that personal hygiene and environmental sanitation will happen if you keep your mind clean. He wanted the broom to get the same status as that of pen or the pencil. Gandhi had a clear idea of how we should segregate and process the waste,” he said.
M.C. Dathan, Scientific Advisor to the Chief Minister, said cooperation from the public was required for waste management programmes.
Haritha Keralam vice chairperson T.N. Seema said it was important to make sanitation a priority especially after the floods. Mayor V.K. Prasanth said the Corporation had managed to forge ahead into the next phase of implementation of green protocol with the plan to impose extended producer responsibility.