Himalayan environment & toursim IB

The fact that a mere 5.58 per cent out of a rural population of 623 million has been covered by both safe drinking water and sanitation after four and a half decades of development planning and rural development programmes, is a matter of grave concern. Environmental Sanitation Health and Panchayati Raj is the result of a study which critically looked into the implementation and monitoring of experimental models of sanitation and health programmes in different parts of the country. They include programmes of central and state governments, international organisations such as UNICEF, the World Bank and the World Health Organisation, NGOs like Sulabh International Social Service Organisation (SISSO), Environmental Sanitation Institute, Gujarat and the Bio-Village Model of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Pondicherry. The study has evolved a sanitation and health model synthesizing the salient aspects of these programmes for adoption in panchayati raj.

The historic 73rd Constitution Amendment opens new vistas for improving the quality of life of the people in rural India. This study is a major contribution outlining the full potential of panchayati raj to usher in a sea-change in the rural areas to upgrade the present sanitation and health care systems. Mulk Raj Anand says in his message to this publication: "I hope the book comes to the notice of governmental agencies, international organisations and local NGOs as it gives guidelines to achieve appointed goals. If the reverse traffic of migration from urban to rural is to set in, and India wishes to have a healthy nation, such research studies will show the way to pioneer revolutionary development"