New UNICEF projects for Rajasthan

By Our Staff Correspondent

JAIPUR, AUG. 18. The United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) will implement several important projects pertaining to drinking water, sanitation, child development, nutrition, elementary education and protection of children's rights in Rajasthan from 2003 to 2007 with the cooperation of the State Government.

The UNICEF intends to spend about 6.1 million dollars for implementation of some other projects during 2001, its State representative, Mr. Satish Kumar, said during a two-day workshop on the State consultation for programme of cooperation with the U.N. body here the other day.

The projects to be launched in 2003 form part of UNICEF's drive to achieve the goals set out in the World Summit for Children, 1990. The achievement of women's rights, improvement in the situation of girl children and enhancement of the community's capacity for assessment and action in the context of local needs are some other objectives for which the global body is working.

Mr. Satish Kumar stated that supply of safe drinking water to households had improved in Rajasthan during the past few years and the State had bagged the second position, after Uttar Pradesh, with the availability of clean drinking water in 89 per cent of the households.

Referring to the social condition of women in the State, Mr. Satish Kumar said 82 per cent of the girls got married by the age of 18 years. Yet the sex ratio had improved from 910 women for every 1,000 men to 922 women. The literacy rate among women, reported at 20 per cent in 1991, has also improved to 44 per cent by 2001. On this front, Rajasthan has recorded an improvement by 24 per cent, which is the highest among the 14 major States in the country.

The workshop was informed that UNICEF would spend 6.1 million dollars - including 1 million dollars for tackling the recurrent droughts - on various schemes during 2001. They will include strengthening of panchayats, improvement in the quality and availability of water, education and health care projects and programmes for qualitative improvement in other sectors.

The Deputy Director of the UNICEF India Country Office in New Delhi, Dr. Erma Menoncaurt, made a presentation on various projects launched by UNICEF for the benefit of various sections of the society across the country. The representatives of various NGOs working in the State as well as the Government officials of several departments attended the workshop.

The Additional Chief Secretary, Mr. O.P. Behari, said emphasis should be laid on projects of permanent nature and called for ensuring community participation through these projects. The State Government, he said, had fixed the priority areas to ensure development with emphasis on expansion of education.

Over the past few years, the State Government has laid stress on the concept of local self-administration which had led to people's participation in the administration and community involvement in the decision-making process.

The Secretary in the State's Women and Child Development Department, Mr. Ashok Jain, pointed out that the Rajasthan Government had set up missions for important sectors to ensure all-round development. The mission established for social security would pay special attention to the progress and development of women and children.

According to the State Women's Policy, announced on March 8, 2000, assistance is being provided to women and girl children living in poverty and difficult circumstances. Mr. Jain said efforts were being made to uplift these vulnerable sections of the society.

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