AMN

Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that a target has been set to bring 50 thousand more villages in the category of open defecation-free ODF plus in the next financial year. He said, over two lakh 38 thousand villages are currently in the ODF plus category.

Briefing media in New Delhi today, Mr. Shekhawat said, all the villages in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Dadar and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu have already achieved the ODF plus model village status.

He said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Mission in 2014 with a vision to make the country open and defecation free. The Minister said, this Mission has become Jan Andolan and achieved the feat on 2nd October 2019. He said, the target has been achieved 11 years ahead of the SDG-6 target set by the United Nations.