11 JAN , Delhi: The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given ex post facto approval for renaming of National Centre for Drinking Water, Sanitation and Quality, Joka, Kolkata as ‘Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee National Institute of Water and Sanitation (SPM-NIWAS)’.The Institute has been set up on 8.72 acres of land at Joka, Diamond Harbor Road , Kolkata, West Bengal. The Institute is envisaged as a premier institute to develop capacities in states/UTs in the field of public health engineering, drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene through training programmes. Such capacities are envisaged for not only the front-line workforce engaged in implementation of the Swachh Bharat Mission and Jal Jeevan Mission, but also for the representatives of local bodies, both rural and urban. Accordingly, suitable infrastructure has been developed, including training infrastructure, and R& D Block and a residential complex. Working and miniature models of Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) technologies are also installed to facilitate the training at the institute.Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, one of the most deserving sons of West Bengal and a front-runner in national integration, inspiration for industrialization, was also an eminent scholar and academician and the youngest Vice Chancellor of Univeristy of Calcutta. Naming the Institute by Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee;s name shall inspire the whole set of stakeholders to honour him by adopting his values of honesty integrity, and commitment in work ethos of the Institute. The Institute has been inaugurated by the Prime Minister in December, 2022.
