Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh claimed on Sunday that the state will be declared ‘open defecation-free’ (ODF) before the deadline of October 2, 2018 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be invited for the function.
Good health depends upon cleanliness (Swachhta) which ultimately leads to prosperity. Chhattisgarh will make ten times more progress if it becomes ‘Swachh’ and healthy,’’ Singh was addressing a function titled ‘Swachhta Hi Sewa’ at village Kendri in Raipur district under Abhanpur development block to mark the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Singh said that thousands of citizens had built toilets at their homes in Abhanpur development block in recent months. Singh and Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani laid bricks for the construction of a toilet at the village. Irani dedicated Smart gram panchayat, Smart Anganwadi and Smart School also on the occasion.
Chief Minister said that Modi’s ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ has become a people’s movement in Chhattisgarh. He revealed that 8,000 gram panchayats and 14,000 villages had been declared ‘open defecation-free’ with the co-operation of panchs-sarpanchs, rural citizens and cross-sections of the society.
Singh appreciated the modern computer equipped Gram Panchayat building at village Kendri and said Rs this is an example worth emulating for other panchayats’.
Smriti Irani who was the chief guest on the occasion, greeted Modi on behalf of citizens of the State on his birthday. She appreciated several steps taken by Chhattisgarh towards Rs Swachh Abhiyan’ and education and specially mentioned Education City at insurgency-hit Dantewada.
Irani said that she has information that some vigilant villagers get up at 4 am and roam around to spread the message of cleanliness in the surroundings. She revealed that toilets had been built in four lakh girls’ schools in the entire country.
There is 20 per cent increase in enrolment of girls in those schools’’ the union minister remarked.
Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Ajay Chandrakar welcomed the gathering. Agriculture Minister Brijmohan Agrawal, lok Sabha MP Ramesh Bais, Chhattisgarh Apex Bank Chairman Ashok Bajaj, Chief Secretary vivek Dhand, Panchayat and Rural development department Additional Chief Secretary M.K.Raut and many senior officers were also present on the occasion.