LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh has achieved a milestone under the Swachh Bharat Mission with 100% of its villages declared open defecation free (ODF) Plus.
In just over nine months, more than 80,000 villages were not only declared ODF but with the addition of either solid or liquid waste management facilities or both, they were given the additional tag of ODF Plus.
Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this achievement, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also congratulated the people of the state from his handle on social media platform ‘X’.
“Under the guidance of PM Narendra Modi, 100% villages of India's new UP have been declared ODF Plus. Our villages have become totally free of the shameful compulsion of open defecation. This achievement, which is also symbolic of sanitation, respect and security, has outlined ease of living in the new Uttar Pradesh. For this achievement which secures health and dignity, I congratulate the people of UP,” he said.
The feat was achieved under the second phase of Swachh Bharat Mission (Rural), with all 95,767 villages in UP being declared ODF Plus.
In the country till now, 4.4 lakh villages or 75% of the total have been declared ODF Plus.
“Till January 1, 2023, there were only 15,088 ODF Plus villages in UP. In just nine months, the state managed to cover all villages under this programme and ensured that more than 80,000 villages were given waste treatment facilities,” said a government spokesperson.
Of the ODF Plus villages in UP, 81,744 are ODF Plus aspirational where there is facility for either solid or liquid waste management. Another 10,217 villages have both solid and liquid waste management facilities and 3,806 villages are ODF Plus model villages.
ODF Plus model villages are those which have not only maintained their ODF status but have also arranged for both solid and liquid waste management. These villages are also marked by high levels of sanitation, minimum waste and low levels of untreated sewage. There are no waste dumps in public areas in these villages and information pertaining to ODF Plus are displayed prominently.
“This feat was achieved during the Swachhta Hi Sewa (SHS) campaign-2023 which is being implemented across India. The campaign is held from September 15 to October 2 each year by Swachh Bharat Mission (Rural), drinking water and sanitation department and the Jal Shakti ministry. Till now, 88 lakh people have participated in it and performed shramdaan,” the official said.
The state government has been felicitating gram pradhans, gram panchayat secretaries, panchayat assistants and sanitation workers for the work on this project so that more people can be inspired to contribute to the mission.
Among the award winners are 60 gram panchayats who worked towards developing their villages as model villages. One sanitation worker from each district was also felicitated.
The gram panchayats took several measures to implement Swachh Bharat Mission in their respective villages to achieve the ODF status. They learnt about solid and liquid waste management and used magic and puppet shows, folk programmes etc to sensitise people about it and make their villages garbage-free.
