Telangana tops in highest number of open defecation-free villages

 HYDERABAD: In a major milestone, Telangana has become the first state in the country to attain 100 per cent open defecation-free (ODF) villages under the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G), a key initiative of the BJP-led government at the Centre.

According to the report issued by the Jal Shakti ministry for the SBG-M on Wednesday, Telangana state, with a percentage of ODF Plus villages of 100 per cent, was ranked first among the top performing states, followed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh, each with 99.5 per cent, 97.8 per cent, and 95.2 per cent, and Goa, 95.3 per cent, and Sikkim, 69.2 per cent.

 “These States and Union Territories have shown remarkable progress in achieving the ODF Plus status, and their efforts have been instrumental in reaching this milestone,” the report stated.

An ODF Plus village is one which has sustained its Open Defecation Free (ODF) status along with implementing either solid or liquid waste management systems, relatively new to rural India. Under the phase-II of the SBM-G, 50 per cent villages, i.e., more than 2.96 lakh villages in the country have achieved ODF Plus status. The Swach Bharat Mission marked its nine years in 2023.