A whopping Rs11,368 crore would be spent in the State for construction of toilets in next three years. For the year 2016-17, spending on this account would be to the tune of Rs2,815 crore.
Rural Development Principal Secretary Madhu Sudan Padhi presented the State’s Project Implementation Plan (PIP) at the recent 49th meeting of the National Scheme Sanctioning Committee (NSSC), which has approved it for rural areas to be implemented till October 2019.
NSSC Chairman and Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation Secretary Parameswaran Iyer chaired the meeting.
Padhi also presented the Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) at the NSSC meeting which was approved too. The AIP with a cost of Rs2,815.27 crore would be implemented this year for construction of 21 lakh toilets for both BPl and APl population.
However by October 2019, the State Government would construct 76.59 lakh toilets for BPl and APl people.
The State Government would also construct 2,490 Community Sanitary Complexes during these years. Out of the total cost of Rs11,368.39 crore for the purpose, the Centre would bear Rs6,858.43 crore and the State Rs4,504.76 crore. The beneficiaries would share Rs4.98 crore.
Earlier, Chief Secretary AP Padhi had reviewed construction of toilets in the State and advised the Department of Rural Development to make more villages open defecation-free (ODF).
In Odisha 14,666 villages under 1967 gram panchayats have been identified to be ODF during this year.
However, there is a growing demand to make arrangement for water facilities at toilets so that people would be able to use latrines in a hassle-free manner. However, providing water supply in toilets has not been envisaged in the project, sources said.