Panchayat Raj System and Rural Sanitation from Pakkanadu Gram Panchayat of Salem District in Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Good health can substantially reduce the rates of morbidity and the severity of various diseases and improve the quality of life of huge numbers of people, particularly women and children. Worldwide 2.6 billion people lack of adequate sanitation and it contributes to about 10 percent of global disease burden, causing mainly diarrhoeal diseases. Therefore, adequate sanitation with good hygiene and safe water are fundamental to good health and to economic and social development. In 2002, sanitation was included in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and specifically within MDG 7 (Ensure Environmental Sustainability), Target C, which sets the aim of having by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. In developing countries like India, 57 percent of households do not have toilets and in particular of Tamil Nadu it was at 52 percent. In India, local government institutions and civil societies play important role in rural development and they are responsible for transforming the socio-economic features of the Indian villages. The central and state governments are implementing more number of schemes like National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) and so on to protect child and women’s health. Therefore, both governments to give reward for full achievement of gram panchayats like Nirmal Gram Puraskar (NGP) and reward upto Rs. 10 lakhs. At the state government level, Tamil Nadu gives award for Clean Village Campaign (CVC) and the reward is Rs. 5 lakhs. The present study focuses on the current status of gram panchayats which maintain full coverage of clean water and good sanitation. Therefore the present paper contains the need and importance of the study, literature review, objectives of the study, methodology, general observation, evolution of panchayat raj, rural sanitation etc., An attempt is made, to study the panchayat raj system and rural sanitation in general and particular to study the Pakkanadu Gram Panchayat (GP) of Idappadi block in Salem district, Tamil Nadu. This gram panchayat received the central government award of NGP in 2008 and the state government award of CVC in 2011.