Karnataka becomes 26th open defecation free state

BENGALURU: The state government on Monday declared Karnataka as open defecation free (ODF) state after announcing that all the 72. 2 lakh rural households are provided with individual toilets.

With this, Karnataka became 26th state to achieve the ODF status after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachch Bharat Mission on October 2, 2014.

“While the Centre had been pushing for Swachch Bharat, our state has actually taken up these measures proactively and has executed it ahead of time,” said chief minister HD Kumarswamy.

The Centre had set a target of October 2, 2019, when the country celebrates 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, for states to achieve ODF status.

Deputy chief minister G Parameshwar said the state government had launched a scheme to build toilets in 2013-14, a year before the Centre launched the Swachch Bharat Mission.

“The final push was made in 2018 to ensure the programme was achieved one year before the 150th year of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary,” said Parameshwar.

Among 6,022 gram panchayats in 176 taluks, only 25 lakh families had their own private toilets and under the aegis of the department of rural development and panchayati raj (RDPR), the government built toilets for 45.2 lakh households in these five years.

“Building toilets is only one part of it, what is important is that people should use them and keep them clean. Sustainably of the programme is the responsibility of people,” said RDPR minister Krishna Byre Gowda.