Relegating the BJP-ruled states far behind, the Telangana state emerged as number one in Open Defecation Free (ODF) plus in the country.
The villages are clean and every household has individual sanitary latrines. This was announced by the Central government. In nine years, the BRS government achieved “Swachh Telangana” beating all the Congress and BJP-ruled states.
The Central government conducted a survey and as on March 12, 2023, the Telangana state stood first in all its parameters. The Gujarat state which is being ruled by BJP for the last two decades did not stand anywhere near Telangana.
The ODF Plus is given when all the households and government offices in the village have latrines, proper collection of garbage, maintenance of dumping yards, segregation of wet and dry garbage, availability of graveyards in every village, and maintenance of drains.
Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao came up with the programme ‘Palle Pragathi’ which envisages changing the very face of every village in the state. Every Gram Panchayat was strengthened by recruiting required personnel including sanitation and all the Panchayats were given a tractor, enough funds were disbursed to take up massive plantations, construction of graveyards, laying drains, and internal roads.
The survey results announced by the central government say that 99.80 percent population has access to a toilet in Telangana state.
Municipal Administration minister K T Rama Rao, Panchayat Raj minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao, and Finance minister T Harish Rao expressed their happiness at the achievement and congratulated the government employees down to the field level who were involved in making the state proud. They wanted employees to keep up their good work.
By Gollapudi Srinivasa Rao