Government of India committed to gender-sensitive sanitation, education, and vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047: MoS Shri Pankaj Chaudhary

Modern sanitation and safe drinking water would enhance attendance and instil confidence among girl students towards women empowerment: CBIC Member Shri Surjit Bhujbal

Under the Cleanliness Mission of the Government of India, Union Minister of State for Finance Shri Pankaj Chaudhary inaugurated 16 toilets and drinking water facilities — 3 in Government Girls Inter College and 13 across Kasturba Gandhi Vidyalayas — in Maharajganj district.

 

The project was executed under the overall supervision of the Varanasi Commissionerate of the Lucknow CGST Zone, with help from the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). The project began in FY 2022-23 and was completed in March 2025, benefiting over 5,000 girl students from remote rural areas.

The facilities located at the different remote locations of the district were formally inaugurated and handed over to the beneficiary schools today by Shri Chaudhary, in presence of Shri Surjit Bhujbal, Member, CBIC; Shri P.K. Katiyar, Chief Commissioner Lucknow Zone; and Shri Vinish Chaudhary, CGST Commissioner Varanasi.

In his address on this occasion, Shri Chaudhary emphasised the Government of India’s unwavering commitment to gender-sensitive sanitation, education, and the vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047. Shri Chaudhary underlined the role of Swachchta in building a clean, inclusive, and empowered India.

In his address on at the occasion, Shri Bhujbal said that the availability of modern sanitation and safe drinking water would not only enhance attendance and confidence among girl students but would also stand as a meaningful step towards women empowerment.

Commending the CPWD for their exceptional coordination and commitment, Shri Bhujbal said CPWD beat the administrative, logistical and geographical challenges to ensure timely project delivery, and shared that the project was efficiently completed within the allocated budget and resulted in a noticeable cost savings.

The CBIC, in its continued commitment to the Swachh Bharat Mission, has successfully undertaken 3,062 Swachchta projects over the past six years, with a vision to support a defecation-free and cleaner India. In FY 2023-24, CBIC completed 197 projects out of the 40.39 crore allocated budget, utilising Rs. 36.70 crore towards key initiatives such as record digitisation, construction of Divyang-friendly toilets, and creation of workplace facilities like creches.

CBIC also actively contributes to a cleaner and greener society through plantation drives, public art, and park renovations. Under initiatives like Swachchta Hi Sewa and Swachchta Pakhwada, workshops have been conducted, e-office adoption has increased, and efforts towards effective records management and disposal of obsolete stock have been accelerated.

These initiatives reaffirm CBIC’s commitment to the national vision of Swachh Bharat and sustainable development.

Gender-sensitive sanitation advances school attendance and empowerment through government-funded sanitation and water facility projects in rural schools. This release summarises a government project delivering gender-sensitive sanitation and safe drinking water to rural girls' schools, executed by the Varanasi Commissionerate of the Lucknow CGST Zone with CBIC and CPWD support, completed in March 2025 and handed over to beneficiary schools; it highlights CPWD coordination, completion within budget with cost savings, and situates the works within CBIC's broader Swachchta programme and related initiatives supporting sanitation, accessibility, records management, and workplace facilities.