50% villages attain ODF Plus status

Half of villages have been achieved the open defecation free (ODF) Plus status. This major milestone has under the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G), an official press release said.

An ODF Plus village is one which has sustained its ODF status along with implementing either solid or liquid waste management systems. As on date, more than 2.96 lakh villages have declared themselves ODF Plus, which is a significant step towards achieving the SBM-G phase II goals by 2024-25.

The top performing states in terms of percentage of ODF Plus villages are Telangana (100 per cent), Karnataka (99.5 per cent),Tamil Nadu (97.8 per cent), and Uttar Pradesh (95.2 per cent) among big states. Goa (95.3 per cent) and Sikkim (69.2 per cent) are best performers among small states.

Among Union Territories, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadra Nagar Havelli & Daman Diu and Lakshadweep have 100 per cent ODF Plus model villages.

Between 2014-15 and 2021-22, the Central government allocated a total of Rs 83,938 crore to SBM-G. The allocation for 2023-24 is Rs 52,137 crore. In addition to the SBM-G funds, there is clear allocation of 15th Finance Commission funds for sanitation. These funds have been utilized to build sanitation assets, promote behavior change, and implement solid and liquid waste management systems.

In terms of plastic waste management, 831 plastic waste management units and 119,449 waste collection & segregation sheds have been set up. Plastic is cleaned, shredded, bailed and transported for use in road construction as per the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways and also as a fuel in cement factories.