HYDERABAD
Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Danasari Anasuya (Seethakka) has approved a ₹516.40-crore action plan for 2025-26 to strengthen the sanitation infrastructure in rural areas.
For the first time, the plan includes establishing plastic waste management (PWM) units in rural areas, marking a major step to address the issue of non-biodegradable waste at the grassroots-level.
The initiative, part of the convergence of Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen (SBM-G), 15th Finance Commission (FC) grants, and MGNREGS, covers a wide range of components, including toilet construction, grey water management, and solid waste processing facilities. The fund sharing pattern between the Centre and State is 60: 40 ratio.
According to the official sources, 90 cluster-level plastic waste management units, with ₹57.60 crore allocated under SBM-G. Each unit, costing ₹64 lakh, will help streamline plastic collection, segregation, and recycling in rural communities — a first-of-its-kind intervention in Telangana’s villages.
The plan also includes the construction of 1.90 lakh Individual Household Latrines (IHHLs) for eligible beneficiaries, fully funded by SBM-G with ₹228.19 crore. Each toilet will be built at a unit cost of ₹12,000, targeting 100% coverage across villages.
To meet community sanitation needs, 395 Community Sanitary Complexes (CSCs) will be developed in public places such as markets, bus stands,religious and tourist spots, schools, and hospitals. These will be set up at a total cost of ₹118.5 crore, sourced from both SBM-G (₹82.95 crore) and the 15th FC (₹35.55 crore).
Grey water management will be addressed through a combination of individual and community soak pits. This includes 1.5 lakh Individual Soak Pits to be constructed under MGNREGS with ₹97.50 crore, 10,200 community soak pits at drain-end points funded through SBM-G and the 15th FC at ₹94.60 crore, 1,329 institutional soak pits with ₹12.32 crore from MGNREGS, and 10,080 additional pits in rural institutions with ₹12.67 crore.
In addition, 110 solid waste management (SWM) units will be developed at a cost of ₹1.65 crore under MGNREGS. These will include segregation-cum-compost pits, each costing ₹1.5 lakh.
Published - April 19, 2025 07:20 pm IST
