E-Paper
Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin): 100% villages of U.P. attain ODF Plus status
All 95,767 villages in U.P. have attained ‘ODF Plus’ status during the second phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin)
All 95,767 villages in Uttar Pradesh (U.P.) have attained ‘ODF Plus’ status during the second phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), marking a 100 per cent achievement rate for the state, said a government statement on Thursday. An ‘ODF Plus’ village is one that has retained its Open Defecation -Free (ODF) status while also implementing solid or liquid waste management systems.
This achievement of 100% has been achieved during the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS)’—2023 campaign being run across the country, the statement said. To date, 4.4 lakh (75%) villages across the country have declared themselves ODF Plus—a significant step towards achieving the targets of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) Phase 2 by 2024–25.
Uttar Pradesh has witnessed remarkable progress during the current financial year. As of January 1, 2023, only 15,088 villages in the state had been declared ‘ODF Plus’. Within 9 months till September, the state made efforts to achieve ‘ODF Plus’ status in a mission mode that resulted in over 80,000 villages successfully achieving the status, the statement said.
“Out of 95,767 ODF Plus villages in the state, 81,744 villages are ODF Plus aspirational villages, where there is a system of solid waste management or liquid waste management systems in place. In addition, 10,217 villages are ODF Plus rising villages with provision for both solid waste management and liquid waste management, and 3,806 villages are ODF Plus Model Villages,” the statement said.
Swachhata Hi Seva is observed annually from September 15 to October 2 under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Rural), department of drinking water and sanitation, Jal Shakti ministry. In 2023, over 88 lakh people participated and contributed ‘Shramdaan’ on a large scale, thereby accelerating the achievement of ODF Plus status, said the statement.
