Solid and liquid resource management (SLRM), a concept conceived and perfected by C. Srinivasan, founder of Vellore-based Indian Green Service (IGS) has been recently launched in Ambikapur Municipality in Chhattisgarh.
It began as a self-help group (SHG)-based self-employment venture thanks to the initiative taken by Ritu Sain, Collector of Sarguja district in that state.
Mr. Srinivasan said in an interview to The Hindu here on Wednesday that he has introduced the concept for the first time in the country.
It ensures safe disposal of the solid and liquid wastes generated by a civic body, and provides income to unemployed youth.
They can form self-help groups and undertake the SLRM on behalf of a civic body and earn income by selling the different types of wastes which are turned into resources. It also eliminates to need to entrust the SLRM to private contractors.
Training programme
The IGS founder said that a total of 623 women comprising 500 workers and 123 supervisors were imparted a 15-day SLRM Master Trainers’ Training Programme (MTTP) for executing the project in Ambikapur. Of these, the 123 supervisors would act as master trainers who will inturn impart training to workers in the municipality.
These 500 workers were divided into 56 SHGs to undertake the work in different areas. A federation comprising the 56 SHGs was also formed to coordinate the work of the various groups.All-women SHG
“Thus the first SLRM centre managed by all-women SHGs as a self-employment venture was launched as a pilot project on April 14 within the shortest time of 44 days from the date of initiating the project in Ambikapur”, he said.
Mr. Srinivasan said that the Collector of Sarguja district within which Ambikapur Municipality is located played a crucial role in coordinating with the Municipality and arranging for the training programme.
Thanks to her initiative, the compost sheds were constructed, the required number of tricycles purchased and the implementation of the project started within a record time.
The project is being implemented with the target of launching SLRM projects in all wards, introducing the duck concept in all existing ponds to facilitate liquid resource management, and introducing decentralised SLRM projects in all government offices and gated societies before the World Environment Day (June 5), he said.
After Ambikapur, Mr. Srinivasan has also given training to 430 unemployed persons in Jorhat Municipality in Assam under SLRM. IGS volunteers have begun a door-to-door survey of the 20,000 families. Once the survey is over, the project would be started in right earnest, he said.
Mr. Srinivasan is proceeding on Thursday to the U.S. on the invitation of the Association for India’s Development (AID) to introduce the SLRM concept to 35 AID chapters spread across the U.S.
