The Odisha Toilet Forum (OTF) consisting of 628 NGOs on Tuesday announced to facilitate the Central Government in its objective to ensure toilet to each house in Odisha by 2018, three years ahead of the target.
Addressing a Press conference here, core group member of the forum Anjan Kumar Jena said the OTF would carry out a State-wide campaign on a mission mode to ensure construction of toilets using appropriate and low-cost technology towards better sanitation and hygiene practice through education and advocacy with social enterprise model.
Jena, who is also the secretary of Ashraya, said the OTF would act as a catalyst to coordinate between the concerned Government Departments, Panchayati Raj and Rural Development, for toilets for all under the Nirmal Gram Abhiyan. The OTF has decided to undertake the campaign to sensitise people about the bane of open defecation and facilitate construction of toilets with financial assistance under the MGNREGA and Rural Water Supply Scheme. While `4,600 is provided to the beneficiaries under the Nirmal Gram Abhiyan and `4,500 under the MGNREGS for construction of toilets, the beneficiary would bear `900.
The OTF has plans to implement a pilot project in clusters to construct toilets in every household irrespective of APl and BPl in 10 identified blocks of the State from early 2014. The success of the project would be replicated in the entire State, he said.
Regretting the poor sanitation level in the country and particularly in Odisha, Jena said even 67 years after the Independence, 64 crore people in the country are defecating in the open. In Odisha, an estimated 3.50 crore of the 4.20-crore population belonging to 68 lakh households are in the habit of open defecation due to lack of toilets. Jena said the OTF would help build partnership with corporate bodies for procurement of toilet materials and technology.