Labour Commissioner, Charandeep Singh, has received the esteemed SKOCH Award 2024 for his exceptional performance in achieving a "Sustainable and Zero Landfill Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra 2023." The award ceremony was held at the prestigious SKOCH Summit in New Delhi.
Under the guidance of Mandeep Kaur, the then Commissioner Secretary, Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, J&K, and valuable cooperation from Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, this groundbreaking initiative has transformed the Yatra into an environmentally sustainable pilgrimage.
Charandeep Singh, who served as Director Rural Sanitation, J&K, Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj during the project, spearheaded the "Zero Landfill Shri Amarnathji Yatra" project, achieving remarkable results in waste reduction, segregation, and scientific processing. Despite the challenging Himalayan terrain with harsh weather, non-motorable roads, and limited electricity, the project successfully operated 13 Solid Waste Management Facilities, including biogas plants, composting plants, and material recovery facilities.
In this regard, sever innovative solutions were employed, such as special purpose organic waste shredders and manual bailing machines in high altitude camps without electricity. The segregated waste was then sent to recycling centers, minimizing environmental impact.
Besides, Extensive Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) campaigns were also conducted to educate pilgrims, langar operators and service providers about waste minimization and source segregation. These efforts included audio jingles, video anthems, posters, banners, information kiosks, free cloth bag distribution, and swachhata rallies.
The project employed hundreds of local sanitation workers, managers and supervisors who worked tirelessly across both Pahalgam and Baltal axis, including all base camps, to ensure the entire stretch remains clean and waste-free. Charandeep Singh said that this Sustainable and Zero Landfill Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra 2023 was one of its kind unprecedented event which was only possible through the combined team efforts of the divisional administration, district administration, Shrine Board and sanitation partner agencies along with the entire rank and file of the Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj.
This historic achievement was even presented during the COP-28 Conference in Dubai, UAE. The SKOCH Award, considered the gold standard in outcome measurement, is based on a rigorous assessment process that benchmarks well-performing projects across State Departments, Municipal Corporations and Panchayats nationwide.