Welfare Interrupted

Sloppy government attitude holds up a project and a technology that can manage faecal waste as well as generate clean fuel SHAGUN KAPIL VALSAD, GUJARAT

- Shagun Kapil Valsad

IT’S DIFFICULT to fathom how a sloppy administration can at times hinder the very social changes that are at the heart of government policies. Till two years ago, a group of activists in Gujarat’s Valsad district was mobilizing people for generating biogas from human excreta. The initiative had the potential to put back on track two of the Union government’s flagship programs: Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), which has given rise to concerns over safe management of fecal sludge, and the Ujjwala Yojana, which is losing steam due to pricey LPG refills. The activists knew from the beginning that the initiative would face resistance due to the taboo associated with human feces. But they were not prepared for what transpired on the ground, forcing them to abandon a project that had started providing basic amenities to people living below the poverty line.