Ranchi: Ramgarh has become the first district in Jharkhand to become open defecation free (ODF). The target was achieved with the completion of construction of 77,701 toilets in 2016-17, an official announcement said here on Monday.
Reviewing the Swachh Bharat Mission with all district deputy commissioners through video conferencing, Chief Secretary Rajbala Verma directed that every district should be ODF by 2019 and to achieve the objective, strategies should be drawn, the release said.
Twelve more districts have been selected as target districts to make them ODF, the release said.
During the review of Swaksh Bharat Mission, Verma directed the authorities concerned to prepare work plan to make all districts of the state ODF by 2019. Responsibilities of all panchayat sevaks, rojgar sevaks, BDOs and mukhiyas should be determined. She said that work plan should be made district wise to achieve the target.
The CS said that during 2016-17, nine lakh toilets have been made in the state. She asked the officials concerned to prepare a work plan to build 15 lakh toilets in 2017-18 targeting 2,000 individual panchayats.
Complete work plan including finance, manpower and material should be made village wise so that the work does not stop once started.
Moreover, photo uploading should be done fast and panchayat sevaks responsibility should be fixed as the department will give them 25 rupees for uploading each photo. She said that DMFT and MGNREGA funds should be used in the districts having sleep back.
The department authorities said that 12 lakh toilets have been made in the state under Swaksha Bharat Mission and nearly 600 grampanchayats have been declared ODF.
Drinking Water and Sanitation Principal Secretary A. P. Singh and Director Swaksha Bharat Mission Rajesh Kumar Sharma including other officers were present on this occasion.
