G.O. (Ms.) No.13, Comprehensive Sanitation Policy for Rural Areas, 2020

What the policy does

Government Order (Ms.) No.13 dated 6 January 2020, issued by the Government of Tamil Nadu through the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (CGS.1) Department, accepts the proposal of the Director of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj and approves the annexed Comprehensive Sanitation Policy for Rural Areas.

The policy aims to sustain Open Defecation Free status, provide safe sanitation facilities and establish effective systems for managing waste in rural communities. It supports the goal of cleaner, greener and healthier villages.

Areas covered

The Comprehensive Sanitation Policy for Rural Areas addresses:

• Continued use and maintenance of household, community, school and Anganwadi toilets.
• Identification of households left out of earlier sanitation surveys and assistance for toilet construction.
• Repair and retrofitting of defunct toilets and single leach pit toilets.
• Door to door collection, segregation, recycling and safe disposal of solid waste.
• Decentralised, cost effective and region appropriate waste treatment.
• Management of grey water and black water, including measures to prevent wastewater stagnation and contamination of water bodies.
• Faecal sludge management, particularly in peri-urban Village Panchayats.
• Menstrual hygiene awareness and safe disposal of used sanitary napkins.
• Sanitation needs of floating and migrant populations.

Who is affected

The Comprehensive Sanitation Policy for Rural Areas applies to rural Tamil Nadu, including Village Panchayats, census towns and peri-urban Panchayats facing increased waste generation. It involves District Collectors, District Rural Development Agencies, the Director of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj and stakeholder departments responsible for education, health, social welfare, tourism, culture and religious endowments.

Village Poverty Reduction Committees, Panchayat Level Federations of Self Help Groups, motivators and Thooimai Kaavalars are identified as participants in awareness, monitoring, waste collection and sanitation activities.

For a rural property buyer or owner, the policy is relevant to the sanitation and waste management environment around the property. The text focuses on public sanitation systems and community practices, rather than ownership records or land transactions.

Implementation approach

The policy calls for:

• Continuous monitoring, capacity building and interpersonal communication.
• Public education on toilet use, personal hygiene, waste segregation and environmental protection.
• Coordination among stakeholder departments at schools, Anganwadis, public health centres, Self Help Group meetings and public gatherings.
• Sanitation cards, information materials, awareness videos, competitions and an application for monitoring Open Defecation Free Plus activities.