Jammu Kashmir Declares 6,173 of 6,216 Villages ODF Plus, Nearly 99.31 Per Cent, Centre Says | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has declared 6,173 out of its 6,216 villages as Open Defecation Free Plus model villages under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Phase II, the Ministry of Jal Shakti told the Lok Sabha on December 11, 25. The figure, recorded on the ministry’s Integrated Management Information System as on November 15, 25, implies a coverage rate of about 99.31 percent in the Union territory.

The data was provided by Minister of State for Jal Shakti V Somanna in reply to a question from Mala Roy. Nationally, the ministry reported that 485,510 of 586,944 villages have declared themselves ODF Plus as on November 15, 25, a coverage rate of roughly 82.76 per cent across India.

Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Phase II, launched in April, 2020, aims to sustain Open Defecation Free status and convert villages to ODF Plus by extending solid waste management and liquid waste management systems and ensuring visual cleanliness. As on November 15, 25, the ministry said 4,85,510 villages had been designated ODF Plus at the national level through reporting on the IMIS portal.

The ministry’s consolidated figures show that since 2014 a total of 11.98 crore individual household latrines have been constructed and 2.65 lakh community sanitary complexes established. Under Phase II, 5.25 lakh villages are reported to have been covered with solid waste management arrangements and 5.39 lakh villages with liquid waste management arrangements.

Jammu and Kashmir’s near-universal ODF Plus declaration places the Union territory among the best-performing States and Union Territories on the mission’s village-level indicators. The ministry said the IMIS portal is the official repository for States and UTs to record progress and that the figures reflect data entered by the local administrations.

Officials noted that ODF Plus status requires continuing efforts to sustain behaviour change and maintain infrastructure for waste collection and treatment. The Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) continues to emphasise capacity building, operation and maintenance, and community ownership to ensure gains are durable.