Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], February 26 (ANI): The Gujarat Panchayat Department's Mukhyamantri Nirmal Gram Yojana focuses on qualitative improvement in sanitation and public health across rural areas, the release said.

According to the Gujarat Chief Minister's Office (CMO), currently operational in 667 villages spanning 21 talukas across 12 districts, the scheme has been allocated a budget of Rs. 650 crore, the release said.

Gram Panchayats shall appoint an agency for door-to-door waste collection and cleaning of public places, ensure that the collected waste is disposed of at the designated dumping site, and the concerned taluka shall appoint an agency to collect such accumulated waste from each village and transport it to the nearest municipality or municipal corporation processing unit (dumping site).

The scheme is operational in urban authorities such as RUDA, GUDA, and VUDA. The primary objective is to raise the level of cleanliness in rural areas and improve public health.

Incentives for the repair and maintenance of assets and vehicles are available under the Swachh Bharat Mission.

Meanwhile, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has taken an important decision to ensure smooth connectivity to the district headquarters and taluka headquarters for more than 18,000 people from around 11 villages in the tribal region of Narmada district.

For this purpose, the Chief Minister has approved works worth Rs 302.40 crore for the construction of two new bridges in Narmada district.

Accordingly, Rs 123.13 crore has been sanctioned for the bridge from Rengan Ghat to Rampura Ghat, and Rs 179.27 crore has been approved for the bridge connecting Shaherav Ghat to Tilakwada Ghat.

According to the Chief Minister's Office, with the construction of these two bridges in the tribal region of Narmada district, residents of villages including Tilakwada, Vasan, Rengan, Rampura, Mangrol, and Shaherav in the northern and southern areas will benefit from easier transportation. (ANI)