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Mayawati govt wasted money on 'parks of stone': Akhilesh

Kashmir Times. Dated: 10/10/2014 10:39:01 PM

LUCKNOW, Oct 10 (Agencies): Attacking the previous Mayawati government over "wasting" money on "parks made of stone", Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today said even those in the Opposition visit the green Lohia Park here constructed during the Mulayam Singh regime.
"Even those in Opposition appreciate Lohia Park, which was developed during Netaji's (Mulayam Singh Yadav) regime, and come here to get oxygen," Akhilesh said while addressing the concluding session of the three-day SP convention.
He alleged that the previous government developed "parks of stones" and "wasted" money.
"Compared to that, the SP regime has developed an open and green park and it will be one of the best in the world in the time to come," Akhilesh said, referring to Janeshwar Mishra Park where the convention was being held.
He said unlike the previous regime, his government has worked in all sectors.
"In the last elections (Lok Sabha), we failed to explain the people the difference between a state and a national highway. We have to make them understand what are the responsibilities of the state and what the Centre has to do," he said.
The CM said while the government was developing metro at three places simultaneously, it was also promoting cycling and has reduced VAT on cycles making them cheaper.
Mere toilet building will not fix sanitation issues: Study
NEW DELHI, Oct 10 (Agencies): Questioning the "health effect" of government's toilet construction drive to end practice of open defecation in the country, a new study has suggested that the approach should not only meet "international coverage targets" but must aim at improving public health in general.
"Our findings raise questions about the health effect of sanitation initiatives that focus on increasing latrine construction but do not end open defecation or mitigate other possible sources of exposure," claims the study published in the Lancet medical journal today.
The study was conducted between May 20, 2010, and December 22, 2013, in 100 rural villages in Puri, a coastal district of Odisha to assess the effectiveness of a rural household sanitation intervention to prevent diarrhoea, soil-transmitted helminth infection, and child malnutrition.
However, it has found that there was "no improvement" in public health merely because of toilet construction.
"Although latrine coverage increased substantially in the study villages to levels targeted by the underlying campaign, many households did not build latrines and others were not functional at follow-up. Even householders with access to latrines did not always use them," it says.
The study suggests that combined with other possible exposures, such as no hand washing with soap or safe disposal of child faeces, suboptimum coverage and use may have "vitiated" the potential health effect generally reported from improved sanitation.
"Although the sanitation campaign in India has been modified to address some of these challenges, the programme still focuses mainly on the building of latrines — the main metric for showing progress towards sanitation targets," the study says.
"Although these efforts should continue, sanitation strategies can optimise health gains by ensuring full latrine coverage and use, ending open defecation, and minimising other sources of exposure," it says.
"Approaches should not only meet international coverage targets, but should also be implemented in a way that achieves uptake, reduces exposure, and delivers genuine health gains," it adds.