New Delhi: Over 4,000 cities across India have been declared open defecation free (ODF) under the Swachh Bharat Mission, an official at the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Housing, V K Jindal said, "As of now, 4200 cities across India have been declared as open defecation free. There are many cities which are still lagging behind but I believe by October 2, all cities in India will be declared as ODF."
Jindal is the nodal officer for Swachh Bharat Mission.
He said that states like Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharastra, Tamil Nadu among others are performing well in Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM).
"States like Northeastern region, Bihar, Goa, Odisha, West Bengal are lagging behind in the SBM," he further added.
A study conducted by Bill and Melinda Gates foundation and the international initiative for impact evaluation found that Odisha had the maximum percentage of individuals still not using toilets. Only 23 per cent of people in the state are using toilets.
Overall, open defecation rate among males was higher (12.23%) as compared to that of females (9.22%) in Bihar.
The Centre is all set to make India ODF by October 2, coinciding with the birth centenary of Mahatma Gandhi.
An official from Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, however, said that getting number is not enough, "we need to ensure that the cleanliness status is maintained."
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