Mass movement will be taken up to encourage Open Defecation Free
Raipur, 17 April 2018
Swachh Bharat Day will be observed as a part of State-wide Gram Swaraj Mission in about twenty thousand villages of ten thousand 971 gram panchayats on 18th April. Several programmes will be conducted with the active participation of the citizens of the village panchayats on ‘Swachhta’. The residents of those villages which have not yet been declared ‘Open Defecation -Free’ will be encouraged to take it up as a mass movement. Chief Minister Dr. Raman Singh appealed to the panchs-sarpanchs and villagers to participate in huge numbers in ‘Swachh Bharat Divas’ on 18th April. Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Mr. Ajay Chandrakar urged the panchayat representatives and common citizens to co-operate whole-heartedly in the mission.
It may be mentioned here that Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi had accorded top priority to ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ and launched it more than three years ago. There are ten thousand 971 gram panchayats out of which ten thousand 725 gram panchayats are on the verge of being declared ‘Open Defecation-Free’. Efforts are being made to make villages in the Left-Wing Extremism affected districts also free from pollution. The Mission had been launched on 2nd October 2014 (Mahatma Gandhi’s Jayanti). The target is to make the entire nation ‘Open Defecation-Free’ on the 150th Jayanti of Father of the Nation on 2nd October 2019.
Chief Minister Dr. Raman Singh had decided to complete the mission one year ahead on 2nd October 2018. State Panchayat and Rural Development Department Additional Chief Secretary Mr. R. P. Mandal had issued a circular to all the District Collectors to make it as a mass movement. Necessary directives had been issued to all the Collectors as per the schedule from 14 April to 05 May. Several programmes will be held at gram panchayats, development blocks and districts-level. Panchayat Department Director Mr. Taran Prakash Sinha said that people’s representatives, ‘swachhta’ Champions, officers, employees and common citizens will be honoured for their exemplary work on 20th April. Cycle and motor-cycles’ rally will be conducted to raise awareness level among the general public.
Workshops on ODF will be held in all the villages. Competitions will be conducted in schools on ‘Swachhta’. Tulsi and ‘peepal’ saplings will be planted where the surroundings are neat and clean. He added that Food Department will hold ‘Ujjwala Diwas’ on 20th April . Domestic cooking gas connections will provided to poor women at villages, development blocks and districts.
</>
