Tamil Nadu: DPH launches online sanitation certificate system

CHENNAI: The Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPHPM), in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency (TNeGA), on Friday, launched the SimpleGov initiative, marking the full transition to an online sanitation certificate system.

All institutions, including schools and colleges, are required to apply or renew certificates exclusively through the e-Sevai portal, ensuring a uniform, efficient, and transparent mechanism for sanitation compliance across the State.

This initiative aims to digitise the process and address delays and administrative burdens associated with the existing manual system. This was introduced recognising multiple challenges-such as the annual requirement of a high volume of sanitary certificates, the unsustainable load on field health officers, inconsistencies in certificate formats, and frequent renewal requirements.

The existing system of manual inspection and physical certificate issuance would be discontinued and replaced with a self-certification model facilitated through the e-Sevai portal.

The types of institutions required to obtain sanitation certificates include schools, colleges, shopping malls, marriage halls, factories (including MSME units), old age homes, children's homes, working women's hostels, and similar establishments. These entities are considered critical due to their high footfall and the essential need for hygienic conditions to prevent public health risks.

Applicants are required to visit the portal and complete or update their registration, upload all necessary supporting documents, including the sanitation protocol, and submit a self-affidavit signed by the authorised person.

Upon successful submission, the sanitation certificate will be auto-generated with a validity of one year and made available for download.

The certificate must be prominently displayed at the premises, besides religiously following the sanitation protocol. The competent authorities of DPH (staff/officials) will inspect the institutions and take the necessary action if required.

As per the revised procedure, the existing manual process for issuing sanitation certificates has been discontinued with immediate effect, said the director of public health and preventive medicine, TS Selvavinayagam said in a letter to the health officers.

The sanitation protocol shall include frequent cleaning of premises and toilets, efforts to prevent mosquito breeding and overall efforts to keep the premises clean.

The self-certification shall be done each year, and any changes in protocols and additional infrastructure shall also be updated.

The TNEGA shall provide the auto-generated self-certification, and the information gathered shall be made available regularly to the public health authorities, added the release.