New Delhi: The problem of Open defecation in India is huge, we have world’s largest urban population of around 41 million people that still practice open defecation, a record no country can be proud of. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set an ambitious target of open defecation free India by 2019. Keeping this target in mind, recently in the review meeting of the progress of Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), Urban Development Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra announced that all cities in states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Kerala and Telangana will be declared open defecation free by October 2017.
With Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Chandigarh having declared their 281 cities and towns as ODF, a total of 1,418 towns and cities out of 4,041 mission cities would become open defecation free in India. Chandigarh will be the first Union Territory to achieve this mammoth task.
Mr Mishra also added, these nine States/UT account for 49% of the total mission target of construction of toilets.
These nine States/UT account for 49% of the total mission target of construction of toilets. #ODF #SwachhBharat #MyCleanIndia
— Durga Shanker Mishra (@Secretary_MoHUA) July 5, 2017
Mr Mishra has also asked the officials of the concerned states and union territories to speed up the construction of toilets which is necessary to achieve the ODF status.
Reviewd d progrss – #SwachhBharat Mission-U rqustd d concrnd officials 2 pursue vigorously withthe States/UTs lagging behind #MyCleanIndia
— Durga Shanker Mishra (@Secretary_MoHUA) July 5, 2017
He also stressed that there is the need for Solid Waste Management projects as well.
With a planned budget of Rs. 62,000 crores, the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) wishes to construct 1.2 crore household toilets and 2,50,000 public toilets by 2019.
Myra Rohini
July 6, 2017 at 11:42 pm
Are we really trying to fight against this open defecation? Let me tell you story.
I lived in a village for 9 years of my childhood, in Bihar, and then moved to Residential School in town during 1998. I returned home during summer vacation and I could see the village developing, my parents got the toilet made in the backyard of my house.
But after 20 years, when I go back to the same village now, I can see the older generation practicing the open defecation even today. Most of them have pre-concieved notion that the toilet are for emergency.
They have their own reasons to advocate. If you really want to change the practice, educate people. I came across a small forum ‘Free Courses by Book Deals‘ that take the challenge of educating people of healthy living. and they do it very religiously by debating them and defeating their wrong notion.
You and I should also take this challenge and help people understand the importance of it.