739 cities will achieve Open Defecation Free status during this financial year Says Naidu
NEW DELHI: Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu has said that 739 cities will achieve Open Defecation Free status during this financial year.Launching the Swachh Survekshan initiative 2017 for 500 cities, Mr Naidu said in New Delhi that Municipal authorities should spend more time motivating people towards using toilets and desist from open defecation.
He said, three States – Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala have committed to be 100 per cent Open Defecation Free by March next year.The Swachh Survekshan initiative is aimed at assessing the level of sanitation, efforts being made by states and urban local bodies to capture the improvements made since last such survey.
The objective of this round is to further accelerate the momentum of implementation of cleanliness mission by enabling 500 urban local bodies to look inwards and also at others.It will also help in ranking the cities in relation to others in respect of sanitation levels.The result of the survey will help the government to understand the scenario regarding sanitation in urban India.
Mr Naidu also interacted with different cities which are maintaining good level of sanitation including Mysore.He said ensuring cleanliness is not a mere slogan and it needs to be translated into reality on ground.The Minister informed that 115 cities have reported to have achieved Open Defecation Free status.
He also appealed to the Media to highlight best practices on Swachh Bharat, so that it will continue to capture people’s attention.On the occasion, Mr Naidu gave away awards to people who contributed towards cleanliness. He also launched Swachh Sarvekshan helpline 1969 and short films to create awareness.
