GUWAHATI: On May 19, Assam Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah officially launched the first Jal Shala, under the Jal Doot programme will cover topics such as Water conservation, WASH and Water Quality, Water Supply Schemes, and Community Participation followed by Community interactions.
The initiative was launched in the presence of MP Queen Ojha, MD JJM Kailash Karthik, DC Kamrup Keerti Jalli, OSD to CM Hemanta Choudhury and other senior officials.
According to reports, the ‘Jal Shala’ initiative serves as a community-level volunteer system that evaluates the effectiveness and impacts of water supply schemes and educates the local population about their sustainability.
More than two lakh students will receive training to become Jal Doots whose main goal is under Jal Doot Programme which will help to develop a network of committed volunteers among students in Classes VIII–XII who are known as "Jal Doots" and serve as change agents in their local communities.
On the other hand, Jayanta Malla Baruah took to Twitter about the initiative and wrote, “With the aim to harness the role of students in sensitizing the rural masses on the importance of safe drinking water and its management, pleased to launch the first Jal Shala, under the Jal Doot programme at Pachariya, Kamrup today. The Jal Doot programme has been initiated to act as a Community-level voluntary system that carries out functionality and impact assessment of Water Supply Schemes and sensitizes the community on its sustainability.”
He further wrote,”The Jal Shala will cover topics such as Water conservation, WASH and Water Quality, Water Supply Schemes, and Community Participation followed by Community interactions to understand the status of Piped Water Supply Schemes. Under this programme, more than two lakh students will be trained to become Jal Doots through more than seven thousand JalShala across the state. In today's programme, also ceremonially launched the official theme song of Jal Doot and "Jal Doot Kit" to spread awareness regarding JJM. I hope with these kinds of process and progress, we will definitely be able to realise the dream of Hon'ble PM
@narendramodi Ji to ensure availability of pure drinking water in every household of the state.”
Meanwhile, the awareness program under the centrally-sponsored flagship ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ would engage students as volunteers and they will submit their reports to the state government as their educational projects.
The selected students will have to undergo mandatory training or workshop on water, hygiene and health for effective community engagement.
Jal Jeevan Mission, Assam have already signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) which will be supported by India National Resource Economics and Management (INREM) Foundation, under the National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM), Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
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