By achieving about 84 per cent coverage in open defecation-free (ODF) programme, Uttarakhand has become one among the top five ODF States. All the villages along the banks of the Ganga river have been made open defecation-free. By October 2 this year, the State authorities expect to make 16 more development blocks free of open defecation. Further, the State has set a target of making all the villages in the State ODF by March 2017. These were among the issues discussed by state chief secretary Shatrughna Singh and the Government of India’s potable water and sanitation committee secretary Parmeshwaran Aiyar while attending a video conference with all the district magistrates of the state here on Friday to review the progress of the sanitation campaign.
The union secretary commended efforts made and motivated by the state chief secretary towards achievement of success in these efforts. He also appreciated the state stating that it had achieved cent per cent target under the Namami Gange Yojana. In the first stage, the chief secretary has setDecember 10 of the current year as the timeline for making eight of the state’s districts ODF. He also stressed on important aspects including verification and other tasks in this work.
The second stage of work in this clean India programme will entail efforts aimed at making the districts of Pauri, Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh, Almora and Haridwar open defecation free. The timeline for the tasks in these districts has been set for March 2017. The chief secretary further assured the union secretary that the Uttarakhand state is a leading state under the Swachchh Bharat Mission. He further informed that the Swachchh Bharat Saptah to be commemorated from September 25 to October 2 will also have various programmes slated to be organised in the state of Uttarakhand.