Class 10 Girl From Jammu And Kashmir Goes On Hunger Strike To Fight Against Open Defecation

Mumbai: It has been barely six months, since 18-year-old Bilal Ahmad Dar was applauded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his monthly radio address, Mann Ki Baat for committing himself towards cleaning Srinagar’s Wular lake. The prime minister had also praised a young girl after she highlighted the deteriorating plight of Srinagar’s iconic Dal lake in a hard hitting video.  Calling it as a ‘great passion towards swachhta’, the prime minister had shared her video on a social networking site in which she appeals everyone to not pollute the lake.

Also Read: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Praises Srinagar Youth For Cleaning Wular Lake In His Mann Ki Baat

Now, comes an inspiring story of another child from the state, a class ten girl from Kud town of Udhampur district, Jammu and Kashmir, who fought against her own parents to end the old practice of open defecation by going on a hunger strike. Result – she will soon have her individual toilet ready.

“#JammuAndKashmir: A student of class 10th launched a hunger strike, demanding a toilet in her house in Kud, Udhampur. She called off the strike after local administration begun the construction of a toilet at her residence,” tweeted ANI.

For Nisha Rani’s parents, it was yet another day of school for Nisha. But little did they know that a sanitation class in school would make their daughter a rebel for the cause of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

After returning from school, 16-year-old Nisha fiercely demanded a toilet at home. When her parents refuted her demand and told her to use the public toilet instead, as the family has been for the past several years, she sat on a hunger strike. And vowed not eat until a concrete progress is made towards building a toilet at home.

Also Read: Petting The Plastic Monster: Srinagar’s Municipal Body Plans To Use A Chunk Of The City’s Plastic Waste And Turn It Into Fuel

This sudden uprising was a result of a class she attended in school. Just like several other schools across India, Nisha’s school also conducted a special class to give out the message of Clean India Mission. After learning about the disadvantages of not having a toilet access or in open, Nisha made up her mind to not only stop defecating in open but also end her parent’s practice by getting a toilet exclusively for her family.

“After an awareness program,which was held in our school,I got to know the importance of sanitation.I went to home that day & told my parents that i won’t eat food,till the time a toilet is made in our house: Nisha Rani,who launched a hunger strike, demanding a toilet in her house,” read an ANI tweet. It was only after her parents brought the local administration in picture, did she agree to end her hunger strike.

In a recently held review meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked the state government to make sanitation their top priority as only three out of 22 districts have attained the open defecation free (ODF) status. Though the sanitation coverage in the state has increased to 51% from a mere 28%, the state will have to speed up the ODF process if it has to meet centre’s target of October 2019.

Also Read: PM Modi Asks Jammu & Kashmir Government To Make Sanitation Top Priority As Only 3 Districts In The State Are Open Defecation Free