Bhubaneswar: In a bid to promote organic manure prepared at urban local bodies (ULB), the Odisha government, Wednesday, issued instructions to all government organisations to procure ‘Mo Khata’ (compost) from their concerned ULBs only.
In a letter to different departments such as Forest, Agriculture, Handlooms, Panchayati Raj and ST&SC Development, Secretary of Odisha Housing & Urban Development department, G Mathivathanan stated that organisations shall have to procure ‘Mo Khata’ from their nearby ULBs at Rs 20 per kg.
“Mo Khata is the product of ULBs made in partnership with the community-based institutions as Mission Shakti, transgender groups among others.
The revenue generated out of this endeavour flows back to the community in the form of wages, incentives and honorariums,” the letter said. Procurement from open market or private dealers will only be permitted when the concerned ULBs will be unable to cater to demands.
The exception will also take into account the communication period by the ULBs and the department allowing a reasonable duration for supply. It can be mentioned that the ULBs are processing solid waste in a decentralised manner vis a vis micro composting centres (MCCs) and materials recovery facilities (MRF).
The biodegradable wastes are processed in MCCs and converted into organic compost, Mo Khata, which is sold at ULBs at Rs 20 per kg. Centre lauds compost initiative The Union government Wednesday applauded the Odisha government’s initiative of promoting use of compost made from bio-degradable waste at all its departments.
Taking to Twitter, Durga Shankar Mishra, Secretary to Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) said, “This is an excellent initiative to greatly strengthen and the revenue sustainability of decentralized municipal solid waste management systems.”
PNN
