TCS to construct 860 toilets for girls in schools by 2015-end

The country's largest software exporter TCS on Sunday said it has completed a survey of 1,100 schools allotted to it for installing sanitation facilities for girls and will start the first phase of construction by end of this month.

Under the first phase, it will be building toilets in 860 schools spread across five districts of Andhra Pradesh, eight of Telangana and two of Bihar, the company said in a statement. The work will finish by end of the year, it added.

The company, which had committed Rs 100 crore to construct toilets for girls under Prime Minister's flagship 'Swachch Bharat' mission, said it has identified a modular superstructure design and build for the toilet unit.

For the maintenance of the toilets, it has tied up with non governmental organisations and is also in advanced stages of negotiations with consumer care companies to provide hand wash products and sanitary napkins for personal hygiene and janitorial supplies for toilet cleaning. TCS is one of the first companies, along with others like Bharti Airtel, Vedanta and L&T, among others, to commit resources for Modi's pet project launched in August last year.

Contributions made by corporates towards Swach Bharat Kosh and Clean Ganga Fund will be considered as social welfare spending under the new companies law.