By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri C.R. Paatil, visited Odisha today and took part in activities for the ongoing Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) 2024 campaign. His visit focused on assessing the State’s performance in sanitation, cleanliness, ODF Plus Model declaration and improved waste management systems.
The visit began at Suando village, the birthplace of Utkalamani Pandit Gopabandhu Das, a noted social reformer of Odisha, where he participated in tree plantation drives as a part of the SHS campaign under Ek Ped Ma Ke Naam. His visit to the Utkalamani Memorial Museum, was followed by discussion meetings at Bidyadharpur village, where he engaged with beneficiaries of the Individual Household Latrines (IHHL) programme and assessed the various sanitation assets created under SBM(G).
Speaking at the convention held at Biraramachandrapur GP, Union Minister stated that participating in ongoing SHS activities in Odisha is a reminder of the power of collective action and engagement. He highlighted Odisha’s impressive progress under Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), which has gone from 12% to 100% for toilet access. Under the guidance of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, SBM in its 10th year continues to inspire communities to take ownership of their surroundings, the Minister said.
Shri Paatil noted that this mission continues to be a national priority, protecting the health and dignity of women, previously without access to toilets. There is enough research highlighting the impact of ‘sanitation in reducing diarrhoeal deaths and cases of stunting and averting infant mortality’, he informed. The minister emphasized that Swachhata Hi Seva, is a people-driven campaign, and through initiatives like ‘Ek Ped Ma Ke Naam’ and the dedicated work of the people and the community, we are not just sustaining the gains of the past decade but building a culture of swachhata for future generations.
The Union Minister reviewed Odisha’s ongoing progress under SBM-Gramin, where 66% of villages have been declared ODF Plus Model villages and 91% villages have arrangements for greywater management and 71% villages have arrangements of Solid Waste Management.
The visit comes in the backdrop of the ongoing Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) 2024 campaign, which is seeing massive participation across all 314 blocks of Odisha. This campaign is ongoing from September 17 to October 1, with the culmination on Gandhi Jayanti, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
Under the Swachhata Hi Seva campaign, Odisha has planned for 25,376 events, transformation of 2003 Cleanliness Target Units (CTUs) and 314 SafaiMitra Suraksha Shivirs across its rural areas. Out of these 11,799 events have already been completed seeing a participation of 20.7 lakh people till date. This number reflects the ongoing efforts that are being made to involve local communities in taking ownership of their sanitation systems and ensuring that the gains made through Swachh Bharat Mission are sustained.
The visit by the Union Minister of Jal Shakti is a testament to the Government’s resolve to drive the message of cleanliness across rural India and ensure that the vision of Sampoorna Swachh Bharat becomes a permanent reality.
