Design for Divyangjan-accessible toilets showcased in ‘San-Sadhan’ Hackathon
Need to Involve our youth to solve problems of nationwide concern: Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
With Government of India working towards a Divyangjan-friendly nation, participants of San-Sadhan Hackathon, organized by Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) in association with Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog came out with thought-provoking ideas for accessible toilets for Divyangjans.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister for Jal Shakti Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that his ministry is working day in and out towards providing better toilet facilities to divyangjans.
“An important aspect of complete Swachhata is inclusion. Our department envisages equitable and inclusive access to sanitation facilities for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), as an integral aspect of their empowerment to lead a life with dignity,” he said.
He added that the present government has understood the gravity of the issues faced by the Divyangjans and is working hard towards making their lives easy. “We must encourage our youth to come forward and solve issues that are of national concern,” he asserted.
Expressing his views on the remarkable work done by the winners, CEO NITI Aayog Shri Amitabh Kant said that India, through its young innovators is capable to create an unparalleled ecosystem of solutions to world problems.
“I firmly believe that when our young people innovate for India, they contribute to solving global issues. Our youth are capable to lead the path toward an inclusive India and I am happy to see them having done a wonderful job at Sansadhan hackathon. I congratulate the participants as well as winners for their thought-provoking ideas,” Shri Kant Added.
Secretary to Government, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Ms. Shakuntala D. Gamlin said “Rural toilets must be accessible for Divyangjan. A prototype of such a model that would be affordable, accessible and scalable is the need of the hour.”
Similarly, Secretary to Government, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation Shri Parameswaran Iyer said "We have seen some excellent innovations today, and these may be very effective in making our sanitation facilities even more Divyang friendly. I congratulate all the teams for addressing this very important challenge and I am confident that many of these innovations will go to scale.”
In his welcome address, Mission Director AIM Shri R Ramanan said that “It was AIM’s privilege to partner with ministries in organizing San-Sadhan Hackathon, towards a much needed initiative to empower the Divyangjan leveraging India’s innovation capabilities.”
The three day long Sansadhan hackathon is the latest initiative under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), aiming to set up accessible toilets for Divyangjan.
The participants competed in four categories which included Rural Individual Use Toilet, Rural Community Use Toilet, Urban Individual Use Toilet and Urban Community Use Toilet. The winners were given cash awards and piloting opportunities in the field across the country under SBM.
Three innovators emerged as winners and one as a runner up out of 21 applications which were shortlisted from a total of over 130 teams who had applied for the hackathon.