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Nirmala NagaraTowards better living Environment.

Over one-third of Karnatakas population lives in urban areas. Most of theUrban population live in Class-I cities (cities with more than one lakh population) and their numbers are expected to grow very fast.

This rapid urbanisation is throwing up several challenges. Infrastructure is inadequate and often poorly maintained. Over a quarter of the population st

ill do not have access to toilets. Urban poor not only live in bad living conditions but also do not have access to economic opportunities. Record keeping functions are poorly carried out and are a manual drudgery. Low resource mobilisationand inadequate managerial capacity results in absence of attitudes to usher inchange. Without strong citizen participation, transparency suffers. In short credibility levels are low.

Nirmala Nagara programme launched by the Government of Karnataka aims toremedy the situation. The agenda is to make cities deliver and change the way people look at these institutions. Greater accountability and citizens participation will be the pivot. The poor will be at the centre of the agenda. With the aim to deliver substantial results in the shortest possible time, doable schemes as follows are being attempted.

1. Urban Stree-Shakti for poverty alleviation.2. Urban cleanliness (Solid Waste management)3. Access to toilets for urban poor4. Promotion of rain water harvesting practise5. Property Taxes reforms and property related GIS6. Computerisation7. Implementation of Fund-based Accounting Services(FBAS)Urban Stree Shakti for Poverty Alleviation:

Absence of access to timely low cost credit has been the most prominentdetriment in the fight against poverty. Women Thrift and credit groups have shown the way. In the urban areas thrift and credit groups have been a success underthe SJSRY. The Stree Shakti Programme of the State Government has shown that the effort can be quickly scaled up (75000 groups have been set up in the rural ar

eas. The internal savings of these groups are nearing Rs. 90 crores). A pilot experiment in Bangalore has shown the way for the involvement of the NGOs and theother stakeholders like the bankers in the programme.

Because of both its sustainability and replicability the setting up of the thrift and credit groups will be scaled up in the Nirmala Nagara cities and towns. It will be called the Urban Stree Shakti programme. This programme is expected to mobilise over 1,20,000 poor women to form 8000 thrift and credit groups.

The Government will assist the groups by infusion of Rs. 5000 to each group. But, more important will be the capacity building of the groups by suitabletraining programme through the NGOs. Though thrift and credit will be the mainstay, these groups will become the focus for many convergence activities.

Urban Cleanliness (Solid Waste Management)Management of solid wastes, an essential service and an obligatory administrative function of urban bodies, has to be given a top priority. Unscientifichandling and disposal affects the environment and the health of the citizens. The worst affected are the poor. With continuing urban growth the situation has become critical. Low financial or human resources, institutional weakness, poor technology and public apathy towards cleanliness are often cited a as the reasonsfor unclean cities. The Nirmala Nagara Programme proposes to develop a scientific system of waste segregation, collection, and disposal, by the cities in Karnataka. It expects to do this by instilling good management practise, infusing technology and by bringing in appropriate human and other resources.

The programme will be undertaken in two stage in the First phase a public campaign will be launches to raise awareness about cleanliness. A massive effo

rt will be launched to clean up the town/cities. The campaign will involve citizens, NCC, NSS, school children, government employees, local elected representatives and several others. During this phase, existing human resources will be revi

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talised to deliver. In the second phase, implementation of the scientific wastemanagement practices will begin. The phase will include promotion of segregationof waste at household level; door-to-door waste collection; secondary storage and transportation of waste; composting or inertisation of the organic waste andsanitary landfills.Access to Toilets for Urban Poor

About a quarter of the urban population does not have access to toilets.

The women are the most affected. For them it is not only a matter of health butalso a question of dignity. The condition of the existing public toilets is dismal. Pay and use concept is not very popular and hence both their maintenance and use is poor.

Quality of public toilets and their maintenance should be taken as an indicator of the municipalities attitude towards its citizen. The programme foresees construction of toilets in high-density areas like markets, bus-stands, and also in areas where the urban poor reside. It also envisages renovation and reconstruction of existing public toilets. The implementation will involve urban poorcommunities to choose sites for public toilets and provide separate and ample water supply and sewerage discharge connections.

Additionally, motivating the families in these areas to use these public

toilets is part of the programme. The launch of a women self respect movement will be the beginning point for the public toilet movement. While pay-and-use will be fostered for sustainability, the process would involve a monthly pass system for families which will ensure add on benefits like insurance, specialist health check up and other benefits.

In the second phase, stress will be on individual toilets whereverthey can be provided.