SRIKAKULAM: Pursuing the goal of achieving the ODF (open defecation free) status for Srikakulam district, the education authorities have decided to rope in the services of college and university students to identify the households which are yet to have toilets. The administration has set a target of declaring the district free from open defecation by March next year and an estimated 2.65 lakh toilets need to be built to achieve the target.
The authorities have decided to rope in the services of the NSS volunteers of Dr BR Ambedkar University and its affiliated colleges. “In the first phase, around 12,000 volunteers belonging to 110 NSS units from 124 affiliated colleges will be formed into teams for the job. If needed, all 54,000 students of Ambedkar University will be roped in,” said Dr BR Ambedkar University registrar Ganta Tulasi Rao.
A team comprising 10 students led by a mentor will visit the nearby villages and identify the households sans toilets. The education department has developed an app for uploading the data.
