Amritsar, September 13 Satya Bharti Abhiyan The Bharti Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Bharti Enterprises, today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Department of Water Supply and Sanitation (DWSS) to jointly provide over 50,000 toilets for rural households in the border district. The foundation will be collaborating with the government under the “Satya Bharti Abhiyan”, its sanitation initiative. Under the MoU, Bharti Foundation will join hands with the DWSS and provide financial assistance for the construction of 20,000 toilets in the four blocks, including Chogawan, Majitha, Ajnala and Harsha Chhina, with an investment of up to Rs 30 crore. The remaining 30,000 plus toilets will be provided by the DWSS in five blocks of Attari, Jandiala, Rayya, Tarsika and Verka. On completion, the joint initiative will impact over 2.5 lakh individuals. The initiative will be supported by grants from Bharti Airtel Limited and Bharti Infratel Limited. In a communiqué, Rakesh Bharti Mittal, co-chairman, Bharti Foundation, said, “The public-private partnership model has proven to be an effective approach to promote inclusive and sustainable development. Bharti Foundation has a rich legacy of actively supporting the government’s social development agenda through its various initiatives. We are happy to partner with the government to contribute towards alleviating challenges of sanitation in the district.” Satya Bharti Abhiyan is today recognised as one of the largest private sector supported interventions designed to contribute to the Union government’s Swachh Bharat Mission. Over 87,000 individuals across the Ludhiana district benefited during the first phase of the drive. The success of the first phase of Satya Bharti Abhiyan helped Ludhiana (rural) to become the second self-declared open defecation free (ODF) district of Punjab in November 2016. The abhiyan was launched by Bharti Foundation in August 2014 as a response to the call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging corporates to join the government’s efforts in sanitation and health under the Swachh Bharat Mission.It is one of the largest private sector supported interventions designed to contribute to the Union government’s Swachh Bharat Mission. The abhiyan was launched by Bharti Foundation in August 2014 to make urban and rural areas open defecation free.

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