Two Districts Done, Haryana Aims Open Defecation Free By December 2017

Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today said all the districts in the state will be declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) by December 2017.

Two districts — Panchkula and Sirsa were today declared as Open Defecation Free (ODF) at a function in Panchkula near Chandigarh.

In the function, Khattar assured the Central Government that all districts in the State would be declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) by December 2017.

Union Minister for Rural Development and Drinking Water and Sanitation, Narendra Singh Tomar was present on the occasion, said an official release.

The Chief Minister said the State government is making concerted efforts to achieve the goal of Swachh Bharat Mission in the state and eight more districts would also be declared ODF on November 1, the day when Haryana would begin its Swaran Jayanti celebrations.

These districts are Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Panipat, Karnal, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Hisar and Fatehabad.

He also congratulated the officers and representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutes and presented a memento to the Panchkula district administration.

While referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Swachh Bharat, the Chief Minister said that Modi had launched this campaign on October 2, 2014 and urged the people to make the entire country clean in coming five years by October 2, 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi.

The Chief Minister said Haryana has translated Modi’s vision into reality by declaring Panchkula and Sirsa ODF Districts on the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said under Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao programme, the State has fixed the target of sex ratio at birth as 950 plus and will achieve it in days to come.

Haryana has crossed the benchmark of sex ratio as 914 at birth in August 2016. This could be made possible with the consistent efforts made by the department concerned and support of people, he added.

Speaking on this occasion, Tomar said Haryana has taken lead by declaring Panchkula and Sirsa districts as ODF. He said that Haryana is in the process of getting the status of complete ODF state as it has already achieved about 80 per cent of the target.

Tomar said the pace of ‘Swachh Bharat’ mission is being accelerated in the entire country so as to achieve the desired goal within the stipulated period.