Govt to appoint 17K sanitation workers

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Friday said 17,000 sanitation workers will soon be appointed in the State and their monthly remuneration will not be less than Rs 8,500.Rao was speaking at a review meeting with officials concerned at Pragathi Bhavan on the month-long special sanitation drive planned in villages across Telangana from August 15. He pointed out that as per the estimates of the Panchayat Raj department, the State had only 27,000 to 28,000 workers against the required 44,000 to take up sanitation works in the 12,751 villages. 

Besides the existing work force, there is need to appoint more workers to step up sanitation activity in the villages, he said, and stressed that the workers must be paid minimum wages.

The Chief Minister wanted District Panchayat Officers, Divisional Panchayat Officers, Special Officers and Gram Panchayat Secretaries to take keen interest in the sanitation drive.Since the State government was focusing on drinking water supply, health, power supply and Haritha Haram, gram panchayats have a greater role to play in improving the sanitary conditions in rural areas, Rao said.