Rourkela: Rourkela has found itself among the top 10 cities in the country in ‘Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge’. Following this, Smart City Limited and Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) have undertaken several developmental projects to create child friendly environment in the city. The main thrust is being given to those kids who belong to the economically weaker sections of society. “We are making the place friendlier for them,” said Subhankar Mophapatra, ADM, CEO RSCL and Commissioner of RMC. For the holistic development of the kids, it is essential that they get enough space to play and for that, the unused places in the slums areas are being developed. In this regard, a workshop was organised by RSCL and RMC recently.
Different projects have been undertaken under the ‘Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge’. The workshop aimed at augmenting the projects being undertaken under this challenge, and for that, all the agencies involved in this were invited to this workshop. The main thrust area was to prepare a roadmap for the future which will be to create an atmosphere, which is basically friendly for the kids. Building as a learning aid (BALA) is being used to create new Anganwadis in the city. A friendly atmosphere, safe drinking water, Mamata Room, toilets and bathrooms, attractive drawings on the walls and other amenities are the new features to make the place more attractive and all these have helped in enhancing the enrolment of the kids. The CEO and ADM informed that “efforts are on to make Rourkela the best child-friendly city in the country. For that, many developmental works are being undertaken continuously.”
