CHHATTISGARH: Cross Chhattisgarh’s backward district of Mungeli, 120 km northeast of Raipur before daybreak, and you will witness girls in red T-shirts, blue trousers and white caps pedalling their bicycles with a purpose in their respective panchayats and urban areas. They have gained popularity and a name: Red Brigade. They are not Maoists, who are also called the ‘red brigade’ in the state. Yet, the Naxals and the girls have one thing in common; ignore their diktat at your peril, since the girls are in command mode to keep their areas open defecation-free (ODF).
Each group in every village comprises 15-20 girl students from high and higher secondary schools. “The quiet and shy girls are turned into a confident and forceful personality to act as the tool for maintaining ODF status. All 350 gram panchayats in our district have now achieved the ODF status,” says Mungeli District Collector Kiran Kaushal.
They convince villagers to use domestic toilets and educate them about the impact of open defecation, lack of sanitation and poor hygiene on health. They take out rallies, hold meetings and perform street plays on cleanliness and sanitation. Red Brigade members also campaign against malnutrition, superstition and liquor consumption, and counsel girls to attend schools. “We get the feeling of social authority to accomplish the goals we were ushered upon,” says Sangita Nagpal, a Class XI student.