Bhubaneswar: A three-month certificate course on “Sanitation Value Chain in Urban Odisha” for TULIP interns commenced in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday. The launch of the first training module on Solid Waste Management (SWM) by Odisha Water Academy in partnership with Urban Management Centre (UMC) was inaugurated by G Mathi Vathanan, Principal Secretary of the Housing & Urban Development (H&UD) Department.
Speaking on the occasion, Vathanan said that the program has been designed to provide the TULIP Interns unique learning opportunity and real world hands-on learning in Municipal Solid Waste Managements during the three months Certification Course. Further, he emphasised on the role of trained youth to drive changes in converting waste into wealth.
The Interns who will exhibit strong aptitude, commitment & put in sustained efforts during the Internship program will be retained as Sanitation Professionals. He clarified that the program aims to impart domain knowledge, practical experience in urban sanitation, which will improve their professional competence & employability of the interns.
This is the first batch of TULIP Interns who will be trained, groomed and mentored to be equipped with knowledge, skill , tool kit & social skills to handle the nuances, issues & challenges in urban sanitation landscape.
The programme will create a cadre of 500 trained sanitation professionals across 115 ULBs of the State, who will work as sanitation experts to ensure effective management of solid & liquid waste in urban areas.
A tripartite MoU between H&UD department, Odisha Water Academy and Urban Management Centre was also signed in presence of Vathanan which will provide technical support for designing the pedagogy, training modules and capacity building of TULIP interns.
After successfully onboarding Women SHGs, Transgenders in Water & Sanitation, building the capacities of young fresh graduates/post graduates is an attempt to mainstream into urban sanitation.
Among others Special Secretary Kalyan Kumar Rath, Director Water Academy Santanu Rath, Director UMC Ahmedabad Manvita, Xerxes Rao, Head Urban Planning UMC, and other departmental Officers were present.
