Bhubaneswar: Odisha has crossed a new milestone achieving 100 per cent target under the NDA Government’s flagship sanitation drive Swachh Bharat Mission (Rural), according to the Jal Shakti Ministry.
As per the live reporting platform of the mission, managed by the ministry, Odisha which was among the worst performing states in the country for its lowest coverage of toilet construction under the mission is able join the league of other states that have completed their targets.
Following Odisha, Goa which had the lowest toilet coverage also met its target. With the catching up of Odisha and Goa, India, as per the data released Saturday, achieved its 100 per cent target under the Mission. Now, as per the policy plan of the Jal Shakti Ministry, it will focus on solid waste management and other activities termed as “ODF Plus” activities which will help in supplementing the cleanliness drive.
The state had been struggling for the past few months to meet the large targets from some of the laggard districts in the state. While districts like Sambalpur, Deogarh, Dhenkanal and Jharsuguda had achieved 100 per cent target earlier, some of the foot-dragger districts kept the overall figures of the state at worrying levels.
Joining the league of the worst performers in terms of their levels of sanitation coverage were Kendrapara, Malkangiri and Bhadrak. Many of them took several months to cross the 50 per cent mark too.
The Union government had launched Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) October 2, 2014 to attain Open Defecation Free (ODF) India by the end of October 2, 2019 by providing access to toilet facilities to all rural households in the country. The planning and execution part was left to the states according to their needs. The Union government has helped the state with project funding by giving incentives to the uncovered households.
The state which had a mere coverage of 13.71 per cent before the launch of the mission in 2014 has now constructed lakhs of toilets to achieve the target of 100 per cent coverage. In five years, Odisha ensured construction of 77, 18, 883 toilets.