43 villages declared open defecation free in Punjab

Chandigarh: Punjab government has taken concrete and effective steps to face lift the villages across the state under which 43 villages of the state have been made ODF (Open Defecation Free) plus model villages while 662 villages have got the status of ODF Plus Aspiring Villages.

Giving this information, Punjab Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Bram Shankar Jimpa said that the Punjab government has set a target to provide good facilities to the villages across the state as well as to make the rural areas clean, so that the people live in good atmosphere. Villages are being made ODF plus model only to improve the living conditions of the people. ODF Plus Model Village status is given to a village that is completely free from open defecation and also has complete management of solid and liquid waste. ODF Plus Aspiring Villages are those that are completely free from defecation and have either liquid or solid waste disposed of.

Jimpa said that Punjab Government has set the target to made all the villages as ODF Plus model by the end of 2025. He also informed that 1852 community sanitary complexes (common toilets) are being constructed in the rural areas. An amount of Rs. 38.89 crore has been released for this project.