Government partners with AAI for 'Swachh Varanasi'

A tripartite agreement was signed on Wednesday between the urban development ministry, Varanasi Nagar Nigam (VNN) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to set up a system for solid waste collection and transportation in 14 wards of Varanasi.

According to a statement from Swachh Bharat Mission, the AAI will be contributing both in kind and cash from its corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds, the ministry will provide technical and financial support to the project on pilot basis.

"I am confident that the VNN will benefit immensely from this arrangement and I would like to thank the AAI for extending their support. Based on the outcome, we will see if similar arrangements can be applied to other cities." Praveen Prakash, mission director, Swachh Bharat Mission, said.

Varanasi, one of the most visited tourist destinations in India, generates an average of 650 tonnes of municipal waste on a daily basis.

The VNN has identified 14 different wards along the banks of river Ganga, with a population of about 1.1 lakh to implement the three-year long pilot project.