Jammu: Agar Jitto is a Gram Panchayat in Block Katra of District Reasi. The village is famous for the shrine of widely revered farmer saint Baba Agar Jitto.
During the ongoing program of B2V3, Solid Resource Centre Agar Jitto was handed over to the Gram Panchayat. An effort was made to make people understand the increase in value of waste the moment it is segregated.
Indian Pollution Control Agency agreed to collect solid waste from a Self Help Group of local unemployed youth/ women of the Panchayat which is being registered as a Cooperative society so that the project is handed over to the public.
Household survey was conducted for quantum of waste and cost analysis. The SRM will run under overall supervision of the Gram Panchayat and be operated on daily basis by the unemployed youth/ women of the area.
The project emphasizes on conversion of garbage into resource and income for the people of the Panchayat. The project relies upon community-based structures to manage municipal solid waste and it has successfully shifted the perspective on garbage from ‘waste’ to ‘resource’.
It will work especially in and around the neighborhood of temples like Nau deviyan, Baba Jitto temple and Baba Dhanser temple and their market areas.
Block Katra is well known for various shrines like Mata Vaishno Devi Temple, Nau Deviyan , Baba Jitto temple and Baba Dhanser temple.
While visiting temples, people offer Flowers and these flowers get accumulated over time. The Solid Resource centre will process this flower waste to convert it into Agarbati.
The project is constructed under Solid and Liquid Resource Management (SLRM) component of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan Garmin. The project cost is Rs 20 Lakh. SRM shed and compost pit is one component of the project which has been constructed at an estimated cost of Rupees seven Lakh. The gram Panchayat has 375 Households. The project is assisted by a Women self Help Group of 80 persons. For Segregation of waste, local youth is trained.
In future, auction of waste will be done which will add to the income of the gram Panchayat.
