Mumbai based water solutions company Aquakraft Projects Pvt Ltd., today announced a unique Corporate Academic Partnership (CAP) with R D National College, Mumbai under their program SWACHHAGRAHA.
SWACHHAGRAHA is inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modiji’s vision of Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan & New India. SWACHHAGRAHA is a movement, which is creating solutions at the ground level in the areas of sanitation, clean drinking water, health and hygiene across the country. SWACHH is an acronym for Sanitation & Water for Community Health & Hygiene. AGRAHA is an invitation to all stakeholders across Volunteers, Donors, Non Profits, NGOs, Social Financial Institutions, Corporates, Multilateral Agencies, Elected representatives such as corporators /MLAs / MPs /Govt., & Institutional Stakeholders, Academia, Students to join a movement for clean, green & healthy india.
Commenting on the CAP, Shri Dinesh Panjwani, Principal R D National College said “ We are very proud to announce this partnership with Aquakraft & SWACHHAGRAHA as the program enables participation of our students in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan. Another notable factor is that the architect of SWACHHAGRAHA, “SwachhShree” Subramanya Kusnur is an alumnus of our institution. We are launching the first of its kind SWACHH lab, as a joint initiative of Aquakraft Projects Pvt Ltd and R.D. & S.H. National College and S.W.A. Science College under the aegis of Community Assessment and Awareness Survey Program.It indeed is a very innovative idea and as a first we have developed Field Water Testing Kits. We will also jointly conduct workshops & seminars on SWACHH under the CAP.”
The objective of the SWACHH lab is to foster Innovation and R&D, Testing & Calibration, Survey & Data Collection, Monitoring & Reporting, Support & Contact, Knowledge Management across all elements of Drinking Water & Sanitation.
“On this Independence day, inspired by our Hon’ble Prime Minister, we take a pledge to gain independence from the perils of contaminated water and lack of sanitation leading to better health & hygiene through SWACHHAGRAHA. It our endeavor to create 50,000 SWACHHePRENEURS addressing over 500 districts by implementing Drinking Water & Sanitation solutions in the next 5 years in the run up to India’s 75th year of Independence in 2022. SWACHH lab, first of its kind inaugurated today at National College, Bandra Mumbai, is an integral part of this endeavor. We are equally pleased to launch the first innovation of the SWACHH lab, the much-needed WQFTK – Water Quality Field Testing Kit that enables micro level broad water testing on potability of water. This will go a very long way in addressing the “Golden Hour” in any water contamination related epidemic. It is our commitment to create a nationwide network of SWACHH labs in over 600 Universities through our strategic partner, Chatur Ideas network of universities.” Said “SwachhShree” Subramanya Kusnur, the architect of SWACHHAGRAHA.
Chatur Ideas is a startup-enabling platform training young entrepreneurs across 600 + Institutes and providing them access to its vast ecosystem so as to enrich the entrepreneurship culture right from foundation level. Says Devesh Chawla, Founder & CEO Chatur Ideas “ Under the able leadership of SwachhShree Subramanya Kusnur, Swachhagraha is well poised to achieve its Vision 2022. Chatur Ideas with its association with 600+ colleges aims to create SWACHHePRENEURS by implementation of Water ATMs and enable setting up of SWACHH labs in each of these institutions.
SWACHH lab being under the aegis of Community Assessment and Awareness Survey Program enables students across different streams to participate and naturally gives several hours of voluntaryship leading to meaningful social contribution. SWACHH lab is connected through a smartphone app that can be downloaded by any student and the entire operations and monitoring of the program will be driven through this app. Says Avinash Gupta, Head – Digital Initiatves at SWACHHAGRAHA ”the SWACHH app enables multiple stakeholders, incuding SWACHHePRENEURS, to be connected together on a single digital platform and interact based on need and access. This is particularly good for the sudents/volunteers as they can communicate with the lab at any point with a fast turn around maximizing the use of their CASSP time.”
Concluded Pravin Nikam, the Asia Regional Representative at Commonwealth Youth Council “Subramanya Kusnur Sir has the vision of a philosopher and has an undying zeal. He is an icon of sanitation & drinking water who has made a difference in the lives of people by making access to sanitation and drinking water for all, this is definitely a great contribution to PM Modi’s vision of Swachha Bharat. Subramanya Kusnur Sir with his innovative strides in the field of sanitation & water has created a new culture which embraces the poor and extols the dignity of labour.”