Solid Waste Management: A Pragmatic Approach for Socio-Rural Entrepreneurship by Local Governments in Andhra Pradesh

Abstract

Waste management is a critical issue in the villages of rural India. A challenge for the “Local Governments” at the village level, as the rate of generation of waste is very high and a major problem to environment. The impact of social behaviour, present culture, rapid industrialization, technical societal developments on the rural areas causes more solid waste generation. Solid Waste Management (SWM) can also be an opportunity to create wealth from the waste through rural entrepreneurship which plays a vital role in economy development. The waste management is only possible through community involvement and by bringing change in the behaviour of the rural communities where the social entrepreneurship represents a new paradigm of social value creation and reflects a dynamic revolution in the social sector with a multidimensional construct. The steps taken by Government of Andhra Pradesh in this regard are in a Socio- Rural entrepreneurship approach. The Government of Andhra Pradesh has initiated SWM units namely Solid Wealth Processing centers in 659 block/ Mandal head quarter villages in the first phase to manage solid waste as well as to make wealth out of it and also to bring a change in the social behaviour of the rural communities in the year 2015. Basing on the results, the concept now is being extended to all the village level Local Governments in Andhra Pradesh. This paper focuses on the problem cum suggestion associated with SWM and the socio-rural entrepreneurship aspects for Local Governments in Andhra Pradesh.